5 ms·

That’s so sad that people care more about how they’ll look, instead of just drinking whatever they like.

silisili 5y ago
Wine is very much a social status. You gift it. You keep a "good" bottle around for company. Stupid, but how the world works. My wife and I, we just like and prefer the sweet $8 pink sweet barefoot wine. Despite having no guests, we don't touch the 'good stuff.' For no other reason than we don't like it.
burrows 5y ago
Does “sad” refer to an emotion? If so, don’t all emotions require a human? Then who feels sad because of or about this purported fact? Or are you saying, “I don’t like it when people care about how they’ll be seen so much that they can’t do whatever they like.”?
- Talanes 5y ago
  When someone calls a situation sad, the author is the human experiencing the emotion. It's a pretty common English phrase construction.
- josefrichter 5y ago
- owlninja 5y ago
  I took the comment as meaning people are worried about what others will think of their choice of wine.
- o_____________o 5y ago
  In the best cases "it's sad that ..." means "seeing this makes me feel pity for them", and in the worst is used to belittle someone, as in "your behavior is pathetic"
TomVDB 5y ago
I certainly can not taste the difference between any of them (and so do most others according to the article), but after Sideways there was definitely something in my subconscious that steered me away from ordering a Merlot. I don’t think it’s sad at all, it’s a fun reminder about how we function.
Ensorceled 5y ago
There was nothing in the article that lead me to believe people stopped drinking merlot because they didn't want to be seen drinking merlot. If anything the, implication is that Paul Giamatti's character convinced them they wouldn't like it.
01100011 5y ago
Image and identification is a major factor in product enjoyment and loyalty. Even more so when talking about alcoholic beverages. There is a mystique surrounding wine, as if it is a pure product shaped only by nature and the skill of the winemaker. The reality is that it's an engineered product full of adulterants(many natural and historical, but adulterants nevertheless. Think fining agents, acids, etc). Same with spirits. It's an industry that must produce a consistent product from highly variable inputs. Your impression of the bottle and the label also contribute to the brand/image. People often choose the beverage that helps them identify with a story or project a certain image, not necessarily something that tastes good. Then again that's part of why their doing it. They want to signal. They need a vehicle for it.
1123581321 5y ago
Wine has such a highly publicized social component and reputation for containing depths which are perceptible but inarticulable to non-experts, that I would venture almost no one really knows what they actually like. I don't know if you've seen the movie, but Giamatti's character does come off as someone you feel really understands when wine is bad, or at least was written by people who do. It's hard to resist that. Those who have achieved enlightenment just drink what's in front of them, shrug, and say, in the words of Thomas Hayden Church, "tastes okay to me." :)
- at_a_remove 5y ago
  But that's also a metaphor for the two characters and their approaches to romance and/or sex. Church's Jack will take whatever is in front of him, even if it is someone else's bottle. I'm not sure what the wine version of "omnivorous" is ... perhaps "omnivinous." He simply isn't fussy. No, it's more than that, he is sexually obsessive. "You need to get your joint worked on, Miles" is presented as a solution to Miles' relationship woes. "Don't you just want to feel that cozy little box grip down on your johnson?" Miles, on the other hand, is speaking of himself when he talks about his interest in Pinot Noir: "It's uh, it's thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It's, you know, it's not a survivor like Cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and uh, thrive even when it's neglected. No, Pinot needs constant care and attention. You know? And in fact it can only grow in these really specific, little, tucked away corners of the world. And, and only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really. Only somebody who really takes the time to understand Pinot's potential can then coax it into its fullest expression." Miles is fussy. He knows he is temperamental and sensitive. "Ripens early" translates to "I may have already peaked with a previous relationship." He is bitterly aware of how much attention he needs in a relationship, and so on. It's a helpless self-awareness, knowing his flaws but being unable to act on them.
  - 1123581321 5y ago
    Excellent comment!
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

Wine is very much a social status. You gift it. You keep a "good" bottle around for company. Stupid, but how the world works. My wife and I, we just like and prefer the sweet $8 pink sweet barefoot wine. Despite having no guests, we don't touch the 'good stuff.' For no other reason than we don't like it.

burrows 5y ago

Does “sad” refer to an emotion? If so, don’t all emotions require a human? Then who feels sad because of or about this purported fact? Or are you saying, “I don’t like it when people care about how they’ll be seen so much that they can’t do whatever they like.”?

Talanes 5y ago
When someone calls a situation sad, the author is the human experiencing the emotion. It's a pretty common English phrase construction.
josefrichter 5y ago
owlninja 5y ago
I took the comment as meaning people are worried about what others will think of their choice of wine.
o_____________o 5y ago
In the best cases "it's sad that ..." means "seeing this makes me feel pity for them", and in the worst is used to belittle someone, as in "your behavior is pathetic"

TomVDB 5y ago

I certainly can not taste the difference between any of them (and so do most others according to the article), but after Sideways there was definitely something in my subconscious that steered me away from ordering a Merlot. I don’t think it’s sad at all, it’s a fun reminder about how we function.

Ensorceled 5y ago

There was nothing in the article that lead me to believe people stopped drinking merlot because they didn't want to be seen drinking merlot. If anything the, implication is that Paul Giamatti's character convinced them they wouldn't like it.

01100011 5y ago

Image and identification is a major factor in product enjoyment and loyalty. Even more so when talking about alcoholic beverages. There is a mystique surrounding wine, as if it is a pure product shaped only by nature and the skill of the winemaker. The reality is that it's an engineered product full of adulterants(many natural and historical, but adulterants nevertheless. Think fining agents, acids, etc). Same with spirits. It's an industry that must produce a consistent product from highly variable inputs. Your impression of the bottle and the label also contribute to the brand/image. People often choose the beverage that helps them identify with a story or project a certain image, not necessarily something that tastes good. Then again that's part of why their doing it. They want to signal. They need a vehicle for it.

1123581321 5y ago

Wine has such a highly publicized social component and reputation for containing depths which are perceptible but inarticulable to non-experts, that I would venture almost no one really knows what they actually like. I don't know if you've seen the movie, but Giamatti's character does come off as someone you feel really understands when wine is bad, or at least was written by people who do. It's hard to resist that. Those who have achieved enlightenment just drink what's in front of them, shrug, and say, in the words of Thomas Hayden Church, "tastes okay to me." :)

at_a_remove 5y ago
But that's also a metaphor for the two characters and their approaches to romance and/or sex. Church's Jack will take whatever is in front of him, even if it is someone else's bottle. I'm not sure what the wine version of "omnivorous" is ... perhaps "omnivinous." He simply isn't fussy. No, it's more than that, he is sexually obsessive. "You need to get your joint worked on, Miles" is presented as a solution to Miles' relationship woes. "Don't you just want to feel that cozy little box grip down on your johnson?" Miles, on the other hand, is speaking of himself when he talks about his interest in Pinot Noir: "It's uh, it's thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It's, you know, it's not a survivor like Cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and uh, thrive even when it's neglected. No, Pinot needs constant care and attention. You know? And in fact it can only grow in these really specific, little, tucked away corners of the world. And, and only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really. Only somebody who really takes the time to understand Pinot's potential can then coax it into its fullest expression." Miles is fussy. He knows he is temperamental and sensitive. "Ripens early" translates to "I may have already peaked with a previous relationship." He is bitterly aware of how much attention he needs in a relationship, and so on. It's a helpless self-awareness, knowing his flaws but being unable to act on them.
- 1123581321 5y ago
  Excellent comment!

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]