Be Wine Cool

摘要

Somehow, sometime over the past 25 years, Americans reached the tippling point. We began passing by the package store's ramparts of jug "chablis" and asking for wine that was actually made to be enjoyed for its flavor and aroma. "A glass of white wine" became "A glass of Chardonnay," or Pinot Grigio, or Sauvi-gnon Blanc. Then, as in the wine cultures of southern Europe, red wine overtook white altogether. America became―hoo whee!―a Wine-Loving Nation. But just because we have tucked one generation of wine enjoyment under our bibs doesn't mean that we always feel at home with the stuff, not to mention the accumulation of strange customs. (Why do people sniff wine corks? Search me.) It's tough to throw down your suavest moves at a business dinner when the waiter is tapping his foot and you're popping sweat over a wine list apparently written in a dialect of medieval Swabian.