What is it with Wine?

by Matt Watson — last modified 2008-01-30 01:09

30 January 2008

What is it that’s so compelling about wine?

What about it attracts so much attention, debate and general commentary?

If there are any other beverages out there that are as divisive and emotive (alcoholic or not) then I don’t know what they are.

Sure, there are lovers of beer, tea and coffee that relish a discussion on the finer points of brewing, grinding or blending; but they are really just the lunatic fringe. Most people don’t discuss it at all, they just drink it.

This is, for some reason, not the case with wine. Everyone has an opinion.

It seems that anyone who has ever drunk a glass has sniffed it, swirled it, tasted it, spat it and considered it.

Why is this so?

The quality and taste of whisky, beer, vodka, tea and coffee (even water!) can vary wildly depending on where they are made, what they are made from and who made them. However these variances in quality and taste are still only debated by a minority of drinkers.

So, what is it about wine that captures the imagination? What makes it so intriguing? What is it that makes every lay person or professional who cracks open a bottle examine it, assess it and declare “…oooohhh, I like that…”

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts.

Hey, is that a Picasso?

Posted by Wayne at 2008-01-31 06:34

I think it is the capacity of a single liquid to express so many different flavours and nuances at once. and for that expression to change over time. Wine is a living thing....

cue the Electric Light Orchestra...

It's a livin' thing,
It's a terrible thing to lose
It's a given thing
What a terrible thing to lose.

I'll have what she's drinking

Posted by Marcus at 2008-02-01 12:33

It's the complexity, the character, the search for the unexpected, discovering new taste sensations, it's a hot summers day with a cool crisp reisling, its a cold winters night with a full bodied cab sav and a slow roasted lamb shank, it's the AFL Grand Final, it's a place by the beach, it's the vibe....

Good question MW - for me it's not only the variety, it's also the rarety and the search for the unexpected. In almost any other drink we wouldn't put up with it. Imagine buying a bottle of Vodka and wondering whether it was going to be corked. Imagine buying the same brand of Gin three years in a row and having three different drinking experiences...it just doesn't happen. Wine is exciting because of the risk - you never know what you're going to get. And the risk grows the longer you leave it.
Digging around in the back of a cupboard you come across a dusty number that you should have drunk 5 years ago. Do you risk it? Will it be crap (likely) or will it be an absolute cracker - the kind of wine that'll make you want to rush out and share it with everyone you know...only bugger, that was the only bottle you had and now you've opened it that's it. Enjoy it while it lasts as it'll be over way too quickly. You can try to find it again but you know you probably won't, and all you'll have left is the story - like the fisherman " 'cor, you should have seen the size of it. couldn't believe me eyes..."