[blottsie]

The taste of wine is not the only quality of wine.

Like 2001, The Great Gadsby, The Dark Side of the Moon, or Guernica, wine can embody life beyond how much (or little) you enjoy it. The details—"hints of cassis, subtle earthiness, and jammy notes"—do not determine its quality either.

It is its history, its vigor, the revealed clues of its past—the flavors and smells that drive you to wildness and longing. A good wine makes your reminisce; a great wine makes you question.

The author assumes that a pleasurable taste trumps all, and that price comes in a close second. And it likely does for most buyers—but that says more about us than it does about wine. People are not art.

Can you get a cheap wine that tastes good? Of course. But expect to get a poster of the Mona Lisa rather than the real thing.