wine snobbery

[Randy Caparoso]

I'm back, folks. Hi, Nancy. As usual, on the tail end of a rant. I understand that the 20-somethin's are into raves -- "wine raves." Kewl. I say that stubborn Xers who are only slowly getting into the wine groove will ultimately prove to be refreshing alternatives to the snobbery inherent in the grand tradition of wine appreciation. Why? Because they want wine to first fit into their outlook, rather than wine defining what they are and how they feel.

Here's something I just received in the mail a minute ago: a review of a raised print letterpress book put out by The Yolla Bolly Press called by "Two Kitchens in Provence" by MFK Fisher (didn't know she was still active). Anyway, I love MFK, but this particular 64 page quasi-three dimensional production is available for the tidy sum of $390. Is this excessive or what? Although I truly understand lovers of Petrus, 20,000 bottle private cellars, and limited edition books -- and their intense zeal to talk about it -- such things could definitely be construed as snobbism.

Or is it? I put it down as simply human nature gone amuck. What am I trying to say? Well, in a twisted way: we all have our excesses, but at what point it becomes insufferable is all in the mind. It may pain me that the guy who amasses a collection according to Parker may think of someone like me (with my drink now and be merry 'tude) as as much a little, little man as I of him, but that's life.

By the way, any one of you guys see the book called The Wine Avenger by Willie Gluckstern? It's an interesting read -- 181 pages of sermonizing to such an extent that the anti-wine snobbery tone of the book in itself becomes a pointed prickle of snobbism. All for the tidy sum of $11. So cheap, that it cain't be good!