About a month ago, Lettie Teague wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal titled, ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Annoying Wine People’. These kind of articles always get me to thinking about wine and my relationship with it. I think these are highly annoying to Lettie and many other people across the wine-scape (Get it, instead of landscape?).
- Wine-dumping waiter: I have not had this issue. Or maybe I have but it’s not a problem because I like to drink.
- ‘Curated’ wine lists: This doesn’t bother me.
- Pseudo-collectors: This doesn’t bother me because I don’t pay their bills. Buy whatever makes you happy.
- Wines served at the wrong temperature: I agree with this one.
- Wine shops that rely on scores: I don’t think ANYONE should rely on scores. That said, if a wine shop (or an individual) does, no skin off my nose. I’m still going to buy what I like…not what their scores say.
- Tasting-room staff who tell you what you’re about to taste: Often I think that’s their way of making small talk or possibly to “manipulate” you into tasting certain things. Maybe I’m weird but regardless of what I am told I will still taste what I taste. I may nod in agreement with them but I still need to taste it and like it if I’m going to purchase.
- Wine educators: This happens in every industry. I do not take advice from wine educators. We buy wine one of these ways: we tasted it at a tasting room and liked it, a friend whose palate we trust told about something and we’ll buy one bottle to check it for ourselves, or because we are replenishing our “second or third bottle of the night” selection…which means cheap or cheaper crap.
Simply stated, I just think everyone should just do their thing. Drink what you like to drink. Go where you like to go. Do business with the restaurants, wine shops, and wineries that YOU want to do business with. Even the snobbiest of wine drinkers I know like to tie one on…so let go and find your happy.
Warning: My opinion does not matter.
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