I think the wine tasting analogy is a pretty good one. That said, how about the Absolute Sound Magazine approach which is essentially the opposite?
Steven Stone’s & a few others reviews of lesser expensive stuff are often very useful & compare the item being reviewed to other similar products which can offer a practical & helpful information to better understand the pro’s & cons of the equipment & how they might compare to what you own or are considering.
Most of the remainder of their reviews of many really amazing products are simply glorified, extended advertisements & offer very little objective evaluation. Take for example their recent review of the Thiele Zero Tracking Error Turntable. It’s probably a very fine sounding turntable but it’s never compared directly or even from memory to anything else in its price range. Additionally & maybe more importantly, it’s never discussed or even mentioned what would be the potential benefits of zero tracking error & or they were heard in listening to it. That would have been useful & informative.
At least Stereophile for the most part objectively tests stuff. It could be very useful to know if an amp, for example & generally a tubed one, puts out its rated power w/ less than a few % distortion if you’re considering buying it & sufficient power for your speakers is a question. Of course, the true test is listening to something in your system but that’s not always possible or practical.
Objective & subjective reviews & information are both useful & have their place.