Discerning wine drinkers

Or delirious wine lush?

Apparently, a recent study have shown that the same bottle of wine gives more pleasure if it is overpriced. In other words, wine drinkers enjoy drinking that they think is an expensive wine.

Two plausible conclusions:

a. Wine snobs can't tell a Baroke wine from a Batard Montrachet if the Baroke is not served from the can.

b. Wine drinkers derive as much pleasure from the experience of drinking the wine as well as the beverage itself.

(a) is just poppy cock. Ok, there are some people who will drink any fermented grape juice as long as they get drunk. And granted that our sense of taste may be very subjective and not everyone can agree on what makes a wine great. Any person who is remotely interested in wine can distinguish between vinegar and a fine wine. Of course, not every $100 bottle of wine is great eg most overpriced Australian Chardonnay. Even my dog knows not to drink the Yellowtail shiraz that was spilled on the floor over the holidays.

As for (b), I don't need studies to prove that conclusion. For most of us, starting the new year with a free flow of Dom Perignion is a once-in-a-lifetime luxury. An experience to be savoured and shared with our grand kids. And no, it just won't be the same to toast with sparkling shiraz or Nestea iced lemon tea.