These days, you can be a connoisseur of almost anything. People devote themselves to their favorite indulgence – for some, that might be coffee or tea, while others focus their energy on chocolate, whisky, or cigars. With so many things in the world competing for your appreciation, why should you pursue a passion for wine in particular? Here are some of the reasons I’m a wine enthusiast.
It Puts You In Touch With Hhistory
The origins of wine go back into prehistory. No one knows when or where exactly it originated, though evidence of its production dates back at least 7,000 years. Regardless of its roots, we are sure that wine has carried powerful social and spiritual connotations for many people throughout the ages. What better way to mark your own celebrations and meaningful moments than with a glass of wine? You’ll be sharing an experience with friends, family, and previous generations.
There’s So Much Variety
While many foods and beverages feature distinctive styles and diversity, it’s hard to beat the dizzying variety of wines available around the world. The most popular grapes, like Cabernet and Chardonnay, are used to make thousands of different wines – but Cabernet and Chardonnay themselves are just two of the thousands of grapes used to make wine around the world. Even the most remote wine regions might have scores of local grapes used to make hundreds or thousands of wines. With all this diversity, no single person could ever taste, or even hear about, all the wines produced. The endless scale of the wine world allows for limitless exploration and excitement.
Wine Is A Social Beverage
Wine brings people together and enhances gatherings. From mimosas at brunch to Champagne on New Year’s Eve, wine allows you to offer hospitality and enjoyment to the people who mean the most to you. If you enjoy discussing wine, its social aspects become even more fun. Talking about aromas, flavors, color, producers, soil, grapes, vineyards, history, food pairing, etc., can carry a conversation on for hours – hopefully with some back and forth. (Thomas Jefferson was known to talk about wine endlessly, regardless of his friends’ interest in the matter). In short, if you become known as the “wine person,” your social life is bound to benefit.
It Enhances Your Eating Experiences
Great food is one of life’s most basic and profound pleasures. The experience of a dish can heighten the enjoyment of a wine and vice versa. The acid and tannins found in wine interact with many of the substances in food like sugar and fat to produce enjoyable sensations beyond those provided by the food alone.
Wine Is Fun To Collect
When you begin to recognize the differences between various vintages, producers, and regions, you’ll start to experience the excitement that comes from a particularly good find. When you see an opportunity to get your favorite wine at a great price, you’ll get the thrill of the hunt by adding that bottle to your collection. For some people, shopping for wine and seeking deals on rare bottles is among the chief pleasures of wine appreciation. You don’t need to spend a lot to enjoy collecting wine, while I love wines priced above a hundred dollars, many of my favorites are under ten dollars. Finding the perfect bottle for your cellar or next meal is satisfying no matter the price point.
Learning About Wine Is Intellectually Challenging And Satisfying
In my experience, people who get into wine tend to be intellectually curious. The study of wine leads one to venture into the subjects of history, geology, gastronomy, geography, biology, chemistry, botany, climatology, economics, and even psychology. While I would never claim anything approaching expertise in any of these fields, I do enjoy reading about and discussing them. If you have broad interests and an affinity for sensory experiences, you should drink wine.
Hopefully, this post will encourage you to explore the world of wine and indulge in everything it has to offer. Enjoy!