Ben Snyder wrote:
> UC wrote:
> --snip--
>
> > I am American by birth, Italian by ancestry. The typical American way
> > of doing everything disgusts me, especially with regard to wine. The
> > behaviour described in the original post is preposterous for a
> > European. Drinking wine is not a scientific enterprise. It should not
> > be approached as such. The case of the brother-in-law who saw
> > "Sideways" and now thinks he needs to avoid Merlot and drink Pinot Noir
> > (how original) is just too hilarious to believe.
>
> yeah, it was pretty funny so i posted it.
>
> > He needs to get a
> > life. I did not need to see "Sideways" to enlighten me that Merlot was
> > not the be-all and end-all in wine. The problem is that to go beyond
> > 'beginner' one does not have to imitate professionals and engage in
> > 'tasting', which is something that pros who buy and sell wine do. There
> > is absolutely no reason whatsoever for consumers to 'taste' wine in the
> > manner of the pros. The reason is that they don't have the
> > qualifications or experience to do so.
>
> i don't remember posting that i taste 'in the manner of pros'. next
> time i open a bottle, i'll be sure to not taste it at all.

'Taste' means to sip, swill around in the mouth, and spit out, not
simply to swallow with food.