Like a Fine Wine

Very interesting New York Times article about wine and recent pot shots that critics have taken at oenophiles. Wine "snobs" certainly have their weaknesses, Eric Asimov writes. Some studies have shown that some people (among which I count myself) think wines that are more expensive taste better. It is hard to sell the cheapest wine on the menu, restaurant owners explain, because people do not want to seem cheap or uncultured. The more expensive wines must be better. Other studies have shown that cheaper wines actually outperformed more expensive wines in taste tests.

His article, however, brings into light the fact that wine free of context is difficult to discriminate. That is to say, wines taste better - or worse - depending on the situation. Case in point: I bought a wine the summer after my junior year of college. It was a Concannon Petit Syrah, 2004 (I believe). It was $15. This is the typical price I pay for wines. I stick to the $12 to $25 range, thinking that these wines are pretty consistently decent. With few exceptions, I have been right. In any case, I bought this wine and brought it home to drink that night with the woman I had been courting all summer. That wine tasted delicious as finally she caved to my obvious advances - and let me tell you, that was the BEST wine I've ever tasted.

The following week, she and I went to the grocery store to buy wine, and we both wanted the wine that had tasted so good that memorable night. We happily bought it, eager to reap the same enjoyment... and it fell flat on its face. It had tasted so good before - what had changed? I can tell you: the thrill, the novelty, the anticipation was gone, and it had nothing to do with the wine. Thus, my scientific conclusion: wine is not as good divorced of a good context.

Wine knowledge is not easy to come by, and even harder to remember. Do I like merlots? Do I like zinfindels? Which year was supposed to be good for California pinot noirs or Italian chianti? True, I rarely buy the cheapest wine on the menu, but that has begun to change. I've tried a lot of wines, and I'm starting to understand what I like. If that means I go for the $40 bottle and you think I'm being snobby, then ignore it - stop judging. There is a reason I'm making the purchase. I ask for recommendations, I read, I sample, and I try to make educated choices - but really, I do not need to justify my actions. I'm an adult - deal with your insecurities on your own time. If I like an $8 bottle more than a $20 bottle, it does not mean I am an ignoramus. The same goes for me liking a $40 bottle over a $15. Something is motivating me to buy that particular wine, and it's OK. So there! (Can you tell I'm a little insecure?)

I'm currently reading a book by Isabel Allende entitled Aphrodite. My girlfriend pointed out that I had not finished the book before I put it on my profile as one of my favorites, but there's a reason for that. I liked it 15 pages in, and I do not anticipate that changing. If I like a book because it moves me to cook or turns me on, then chances are, I'm going to keep liking it. Don't judge me based on how or why I like a book - I'm allowed to put it on my list, even if I've only read the introduction. (I mean, I didn't just judge the book by its cover... at least I made it inside.)

The book is really about not being judgmental about food or sex. If cinnamon works for you, then it works for you. If you need saffron to get your juices flowing, fine. There can be aphrodisiacs in any number of foods, and it also largely depends on context, love being the big one.

I've recently been buying books like that. One, The Whole Lesbian Sex Book, spends page after page telling the reader it's OK to be interested in things that are beyond the "norm" of your sexuality. It's fine to be interested in things that are frowned upon by better, more loyal gay people. If you fantasize about sex with Brad Pitt, embrace it and have fun with it.

The point is, readers, that you have a right to your preferences. Does it really matter that there is a better wine out there for cheaper? You could be fully educated on the joys of fish eggs and still not like caviar. And it's the same with wine. If you don't like $2 wines because they're not interesting, though entirely drinkable, that's fine - and that goes for those who only buy wines that cost more than $20, too. Stop feeling guilty, and embrace life to the fullest (or lightest, if that's what you're into).