I’ve never been in a financial position where I could buy lots of expensive wine but I splurge now and then. The thought that there is a great wine out there that I haven’t tasted is nagging—an irritant, of course, that I will never be able to mitigate let alone ease.
But increasingly I wonder if tasting great wines is the real aesthetic apotheosis of wine appreciation.
Don’t get me wrong—drinking great wines is enjoyable and worth doing occasionally. But what great wines seldom give you is surprise. We know how they are supposed to taste and, if stored well, they usually deliver. Magnifique!