[JohnnyB]

Wine's the best of all alcohols imho. The fact that it's so varied and that it's unique and changes over time makes it better to me. Having a wine and being able to taste the impact of a growing season in the grapes and the time it spent on bottle, knowing that once that bottle's gone you never have another quite the same is a bittersweet pleasure. Makes me appreciate time. I enjoy sharing a bottle, but with my better wines I often prefer to share just a little and not over food. I know most people don't enjoy it as much as I do and some wines need to build up on the palate to appreciate their full intensity.

It's a great thing to get into, but getting really into it ruins a lot of wines for you too as you end up paying attention to everything they're not. Appreciation of the special ones increases, which is something most people won't share, and appreciation of factory wines goes down, which is what most people drink and what's mostly available when dining out without spending a bunch of money. Being what I am now though, there are few things I appreciate more than a really excellent bottle of wine on a peaceful Sunday afternoon.