Mindless Wine Snobbery

I was involved in a discussion about wine and people's tastes the other day when one person commented that their palate had not yet developed, but they had just graduated from Moscato to Pinot Grigio. 

I thought for a moment about the statement and then realized that the whole concept of developing a palate and graduating from sweet wines to dry wines is totally wrong! Yup, there, I said it!

The are an almost uncountable number of wines produced throughout the world and I am sure that there are more than one wine  for every palate. People need to find the wine that they enjoy and drink it. It would be good for them to expand their tastes as they feel moved, but the idea that one is not a true wine drinker until they are enjoying a wine that is so dry you need a glass of water after drinking it is wrong. It is the original form of wine snobbery.

Yes, I enjoy dark, earthy, dry wines that smell of smoke and graphite and sit in my mouth and beg to be paired with a rare steak.

But, I also enjoy whites, like Cayuga and lighter reds, like Pinot Noir. I enjoy finding wines made from grapes I've never tried before and trying to decide what is unique about the wine.

That is me. Not everyone. 

Wine is and should be an individual endeavor. While it is fun to enjoy wines with friends who have similar tastes, fundamentally, people need to enjoy the wines they are drinking--no matter what kind. And the idea that you are less of a wine lover if you don't drink dark, brooding reds is just, in a word, wrong!

Enjoy the wine you drink and drink the wines you enjoy. 

-- Bob and Christina Doan, Elkridge, MD