MANY YEARS AGO, when I first met the wine critic Robert M. Parker Jr., he told me something that I have never forgotten. 'My wife, Pat, has a much better palate than I do,' he said. (Was it really possible that the most influential wine critic of the modern age was a mere runner-up to a woman named Pat?)

The idea that women are better tasters than men is hardly new. It's a 'truth' I've heard repeated over and over again-though, oddly enough, it's almost always asserted by men. But do they really believe it-or are they tossing some sort of an oenological bone to the 'fairer sex'? And more important, is it even correct?

I called the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia and put the question to sensory psychologist Marcia Pelchat. 'Women are better smellers than men,' replied Dr. Pelchat. 'They're better at perceiving odors.' Did that mean that women were actually better tasters than men? After all, what people often perceive as tastes are actually aromas. Dr. Pelchat didn't exactly answer my question but chose to rephrase it instead: 'Flavor isn't just taste, it's a combination of sensory input-it's taste and smell,' she said.

Dr. Pelchat added a few more interesting facts: Women tend to prefer less carbonation in their wines and are usually more sensitive to bitter flavors than men. They also prefer slightly sweet wines. I'd certainly heard that last one often enough-and seen the sort of wines that marketers created in response. (Cupcake Merlot or Pink Moscato, anyone?)

In fact, a veritable ocean of plonk has been produced with the sole purpose of appealing to the supposedly superior female palate. Dr. Pelchat said that when female friends visited her house, they invariably brought along a bottle of sweet, pink wine. What did she do? 'Smile and regift,' replied Dr. Pelchat.

What did wine professionals think of the purported palate divide? I decided to contact a few industry couples, starting with Kelli White and Scott Brenner, sommeliers at Press restaurant in St. Helena, Calif., as well as domestic partners in real life.

I spoke first with Ms. White, who was careful to note that the differences she cited 'might be Scott-and-Kelli differences' rather than differences between the sexes. Ms. White said that she and Mr. Brenner responded in the same way to most wines, although she was 'more sensitive to overripe fruit and alcohol' while Mr. Brenner was 'able to look at a very large wine and admire it.' That was definitely in line with her experience of the male palate versus the female one, she added. What did she think of the stereotype of women liking sweeter wines? 'I don't think that's true with female wine professionals,' replied Ms. White.

For his part, Mr. Brenner was cautious about saying 'anything that might be construed as sexist,' although he remarked that he thought women were 'becoming more educated, trying wines that aren't Pinot Grigio,' which did sound, well, just a tiny bit sexist. If Pinot Grigio was the wine of choice for uneducated women, what was the go-to grape for ignorant men? Mr. Brenner resisted naming a particular varietal but speculated that uneducated men were 'probably on a parallel track.' Did he think that women had better palates than men? 'I don't think there's a difference in palate-I think it's a difference in exposure,' he said.

I put the question to Adam and Dianna Lee, who make dozens of different wines under the Siduri and Novy labels-Chardonnay and Syrah and Pinot Noir from all over California and Oregon. The Lees operate as a team, tasting all of the components of every wine, and each has equal input as to the final blend. And yet when his wife was pregnant, Mr. Lee wrote in an email, 'Dianna's tasting acumen was particularly great. Every wine we selected was her blend. The joke became that I'd get her pregnant every year for blending.' The Lees have three children, ages 12, 8 and 6. Collectors take note: That's vintages 1999, 2003 and 2006. (Ms. Lee was, of course, tasting and spitting during this time.)

Did Mr. Lee think women had superior palates? He didn't