The times we live in being what they are, I need to start with a few disclaimers. No, I don’t doubt at all that there is a dark side to the wine industry, especially when it overlaps with hospitality. Also no, I have never worked full-time in the wine industry, so you could argue, if you were so inclined, that I do not see the whole picture. And finally, of course my views are based on my experiences, which, unavoidably, are a function of who I am so, sure, for others it might well be quite different. I do not claim to be a holder of some absolute truth, only a purveyor of opinions. And the opinion I am trying to qualify is that I like wine people.
It is useful to define what I mean by wine people in this context, so you see where I am going with this. To my mind, wine people firstly think of wine as something more than fermented grape juice. They consider its intoxicating properties a largely pleasant, occasionally unfortunate, often limiting side effect, but certainly not its prime attraction. They also couldn’t care less if in some segments of some societies it is vaguely associated with prestige. Real wine people would happily trade social cachet with beer, tequila, or eau-de-vie, if it meant Bordeaux prices came back to orbit. For them, the first few pages of any wine book, where the multi-faceted fascinations of the drink are explored, is not marketing or
