Pleasure Vs. Process (Wine Enthusiast - 15 December 2007)

An essay about how the experience of drinking wine in Europe differs from what I learned in a high-falutin' wine tasting class appears in the December 15, 2007 issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine.

Excerpt:

On holiday in Greece, my husband and I ordered a liter of a local Syrah at the recommendation of our waiter.  After taking our order, the waiter returned to fill our glasses from an opaque ceramic jug without first offering us a taste.

Three years earlier, I would have protested and sent the wine back, insisting to see the bottle and making a small show of sampling...