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Decanter

You are what you drink

BEPPI CROSARIOL

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 1:38 PM EDT 08/05/08

Cabernet? You're a meat-eating conservative. Pinot noir? You're probably a dabbler. White Burgundy? I'd like to get to know you ...Read the full article

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  1. Kate Innes from Kingston, Canada writes: This is the type of article that makes me hate wine experts. When did a glass of wine become a statement about your personality, social class and interests rather than something to enjoy with a meal and friends?

    I'm a mildly educated wine drinker, by no means an expert. I don't choose my bottles because I like the label or buy based on price per fluid ounce. But even if I did- why does it matter?

    It's intensely fustrating when you feel compelled to justify the bottle of wine you chose for dinner or when you feel pressure to make the sophisticated choice at a restaurant. To think of all those servers who were laughing at me behind my back when I ordered a Pinot Grigio...

    I happen to prefer a glass of Pinot Grigio over a Reisling, but I I'll have to give that up now that wine "connosuers" everywhere are watching and labelling me as a yoga going lady who lunches.

    I'll order a while Burgundy next time I'm out and I'll be sure to do it loudly so that everyone in the restaurant will know that I'm worth getting to know.
  2. X. T. from Canada writes: haha. Guess I fall into that 'sophisticated' type, as I like Riesling.

    But still, I like that old Chinese 50% v/v stuff a lot better, though I can't take very much.
  3. J T from Victoria, Canada writes: I agree with Kate. I like going in to my VQA store and asking the owner, who knows me well by now, "What's new, good, up-and-coming and good value?" That's what gets him and his staff excited, and the wines he has shown me in the past few years were wonderful, and are now twice the price, and very hard to find in any volume. So on to the next bunch of exciting new wines - merlots, pinots, auxerois, gewurztraminers, reislings... I don't care what my waiter or the next table thinks. I know what I like.
  4. Albin Forone from Canada writes: HaaaaH! Nobody is ever wrong about wine so long as HE can glare down the the wimpy m-f across the table.
  5. Sissy Schuss from Canada writes: Last time I was at the LCBO I asked if they had any cheap Italians with a full body. What I got was not what I wanted - but the price was right.
  6. Pam Schurman from Summerside, Canada writes: I have to agree with Kate, although I do appreciate the humor in the article. Its very hard to be a wine snob when you live in PEI. Selection is limited. I also think the wine "experts" base a lot of their opinions on trends and dollars as much as any "style-ized"(ie fashion) industry. If you want to have a conversation with a truly interesting person, try talking to someone who likes many different types of wine. You'll probably have more fun, not to mention more food!
  7. Mrs. T from Chilliwack, Canada writes: Sissy Schuss from Canada writes: Last time I was at the LCBO I asked if they had any cheap Italians with a full body.

    Sure, there's lots. Check out livelinks.com.
  8. Eric the Red from Uzbekistan writes: Shame about the blatant cynicism in this article- wine drinking still seems to remain a largely trendy affair with the West (read bland) whereas in Europe it's akin to drinking water. Kids in elementary school are served wine diluted with water, and that was 15 years ago. For the writer to pigeonhole wines and anthropomorphize them makes me think he's out of touch with the rest of the world.

    Read any down to earth "guide" and they all say the same thing: go for taste you enjoy, and if you're paying more than 15$ for a house wine, you're paying too much. And who cares if everyone is drinking shiraz?
  9. Alistair McLaughlin from Canada writes: Make your own whine, and you can stay loaded for life at a fraction of the cost.
  10. No Name Necessary from Canada writes: too many food/wine snobs out there.
  11. GlynnMhor of Skywall from Canada writes: Lemon Hart demerera rum with diet cola.
  12. Mike Krafchik from Toronto, Canada writes: Being a red-meat eating fanatic, who doesn't own a Range Rover and does believe that other wines hold merit, I still have to say - nice pick on the cab...

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