Wine connoisseurs
Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 7
Looking to others who romanticize inebriation. From example. The actor Gerard Depardue regularly drinks two bottles of wine a day and has done so for years. Has caused me to relapse so many times. In my mind, I only use this as an excuse to justify my own behavior. I can't blame others. Hmm. Life isn't fair. What works for one person doesn't work for another and I have to recognize that and try to adapt to what works for me, rather than harboring resentment towards other people as a cause for my own self destructive behavior.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 426
I was one of those "wine people". I was able to enjoy it for what it was.....sometimes.....then it changed on me. It became more about the alcohol than the beverage. I progressed to using it as an excuse to drink and get buzzed. Yes I am bummed that I "ruined it" for me, cause I really "got it" and appreciated what it is. Sigh....
Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 43
Originally Posted by Jil 
Does this **** anyone else off, or is it just me? I hate how people devote their lives to wine. It's like every occasion requires wine, every meal has a pairing, every vacation is to a winery, every conversation is about different wines. I don't know why it makes me so angry, but it seems like such a ridiculous thing to focus your life on.. and it seems like it has the capability to lure in lots of people and turn them into alcoholics. I don't care about how different fermented grapes can taste. It still turns into alcohol. It still is a substance. And many are still abusing it, no matter how classy it makes you seem.
Sorry if that upsets anyone. I just wanted to vent.
Sorry if that upsets anyone. I just wanted to vent.
But! Let's not be confused here, I think this is really about jealousy. At least, I know that I am jealous. I remember as a teenager, when I would casually abuse drugs/alcohol I knew I was different. I knew that the drugs were doing something different to me than what they were doing to those around me. Somehow it bended my perceptions a little different, it seemed to speak to me more strongly.
I became jealous of the fact that others could get high/drunk and handle it better than I could. I am deeply jealous of the fact that the majority of people out there can handle themselves while drinking but I can not. This is something that I just had to let go.
If someone can handle their drinking responsibly, and has decided to make a hobby out of enjoying the different flavors/accents of wine, then I say good for them. I just know that this will never apply to me.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Michigan
Posts: 111
It is annoying, especially because I personally saw it as a hobby. But it was also an excuse - I remember my mom saying that "oh, bartenders are usually alcoholics." And I was mad and thought she was biased... and there are a lot of bartenders who are not alcoholics. But all of that "classy" stuff is so often a cover... it was for me. Working as a bartender, in a wine bar, with people around me who went out every night and being required to sample wine and learn about it... it made me like it even more. I'm not blaming them, exactly, but it definitely made it easier for me to excuse some of my drinking behavior to myself, anyway.
And where does it stop? I've been seeing "vodka conisseurs" and "beer conisseurs" (that is getting really big) and tequila and rum... are we going to have weed and cocaine tastings too?
At the same time though... we need to focus on ourselves. But it gives me a twinge of jealousy when walk into a store and there's a random wine tasting. Then I remember the path it would lead to...
And where does it stop? I've been seeing "vodka conisseurs" and "beer conisseurs" (that is getting really big) and tequila and rum... are we going to have weed and cocaine tastings too?
At the same time though... we need to focus on ourselves. But it gives me a twinge of jealousy when walk into a store and there's a random wine tasting. Then I remember the path it would lead to...
Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 507
It doesn't bother me anymore than football fanatics bother me or overboard collectors bother me (think dolls, beenie babies). Some people have hobbies that I think they take to an extreme. Do they have a problem? Maybe. Maybe not.
My father is a huge beer snob. I like that word better than connoisseur! He drinks beer most days. But he drinks one, maybe two. To him it's no different than me drinking two glasses of my much loved passion tea. I love the taste. So does he. He is not hiding behind his snobbery. He's not an alcoholic. He loves beer.
I think for us alcoholics, it's hard to understand how others view alcohol. We assume everyone is consumed by it. That's just not the case.
My father is a huge beer snob. I like that word better than connoisseur! He drinks beer most days. But he drinks one, maybe two. To him it's no different than me drinking two glasses of my much loved passion tea. I love the taste. So does he. He is not hiding behind his snobbery. He's not an alcoholic. He loves beer.
I think for us alcoholics, it's hard to understand how others view alcohol. We assume everyone is consumed by it. That's just not the case.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: New England
Posts: 5,285
You know what's funny....when I drank, before it was a real problem, I was a wine connosieur...people always asked my opinion on wine and I loved being able to give it. I can recall as clear as daylight drinking "great" bottles of wine, I remember the taste and the smell, and it makes me gag...I cannot recall it tasting even mediocre good, but I always said it was great and believed it at the time.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Florida
Posts: 227
Originally Posted by Jabbadabutt
Yes I am bummed that I "ruined it" for me, cause I really "got it" and appreciated what it is. Sigh....
I'm trying to put it in the same category as things like my high school love and the career path I never followed - I have regrets, I wish things worked out differently but I can't go back. There is no choice but to accept and make the best of things as they are now.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Norway
Posts: 23
Originally Posted by ETA
I'm one of them! I love wine and pairing it with yummy food aAnd I love craft beer and liquor infused with herbs.
I don't think there is anything wrong with being into wine as a hobby or lifestyle per se- most people have their "thing." I mean, I don't get scrap booking at all but that doesn't make me better or worse than those into it.
I do see what you are saying - there is more risk with alcohol itself being the interest - and there is a good chance folks are hiding behind the mask of foodie to cover for their issues (yeah I did that).
Alcohol goes along with a lot of hobbies/interests - I don't blame the wine or the food - I'm a drunk - a bad sloppy drunk. I wanted the Top Chef fantasy but can't have it. I'm trying to fill that void with pairing food with fancy soda water drinks - something like sparkling water with mint, lime and agave nectar.
Regarding expense - to a certain extent that might be true but it doesn't have to be completely. We can't afford to spend a lot but we make up for it by having a garden and buying in bulk. We bought a half of a entire hog and now have local/organic/free range pork of every cut for cheap.
For me it's not gluttony - it's caring about where my food is coming from, putting care into it's preparation and being mindful about what I eat. I just don't get any wine with my dinner...
I don't think there is anything wrong with being into wine as a hobby or lifestyle per se- most people have their "thing." I mean, I don't get scrap booking at all but that doesn't make me better or worse than those into it.
I do see what you are saying - there is more risk with alcohol itself being the interest - and there is a good chance folks are hiding behind the mask of foodie to cover for their issues (yeah I did that).
Alcohol goes along with a lot of hobbies/interests - I don't blame the wine or the food - I'm a drunk - a bad sloppy drunk. I wanted the Top Chef fantasy but can't have it. I'm trying to fill that void with pairing food with fancy soda water drinks - something like sparkling water with mint, lime and agave nectar.
Regarding expense - to a certain extent that might be true but it doesn't have to be completely. We can't afford to spend a lot but we make up for it by having a garden and buying in bulk. We bought a half of a entire hog and now have local/organic/free range pork of every cut for cheap.
For me it's not gluttony - it's caring about where my food is coming from, putting care into it's preparation and being mindful about what I eat. I just don't get any wine with my dinner...
zappa
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