The nature of self is fickle, prone to temper tantrums, runs of bad behavior, and can easily be abraded when brushing up against the ideals and ideas of others. But without the reflections seen in the shining eyes of an audience the self could lack validity–after all, without mirrors we might all believe ourselves beautiful, unless of course someone was there to tell us otherwise. Wine exists in the same way. Without us (the audience) to appreciate it wine is completely without quality, a quiet liquid sitting on some forgotten self. That thing which was made as an artistic testament requires discussion. But there is a problem with the audience.
Poison oak encircles a tree propping itself up while reaching for the light, but ultimately it kills the tree and itself. In the same way a poisonous fear of an absolute verdict on any wine destroys the accessibility of that wine, limiting the audience of drinkers. As time passes the putative young wine drinker is going extinct, eviscerated by the cruel words of an older generation. I will have to become the white knight of the millennial race, battling sun-screened flamingo shirt wearing pods adrift on the unexplored saline pools of long red desire. Believe me new generation, there is charm and wisdom in a human body freshly squeezed clean of malt liquor and a liberal education. The flames of the Dionysian temple illuminate a lugubrious image of wine held over in a dusk of primortia.
Solipsism is the belief that only the self can truly be proven to exist. Reduced even further I think of it as unevolved thought, a deep world bone running through our bodies to preserve a core idea of self. Others might say it’s simply being selfish. Young wine drinker, allow your solipsism to run amuck. Do not allow mute traditions and high brow opinions to stop you from an exploration of local culture.
Today a taster accused me of being a word monger who uses his wares to sell wine and that my age (21) meant I knew nothing. I know nothing of how wine is supposed to be described, but often I do find it lovely. I was really only hired to be a golden bangle hanging in the corner of a tasting room, a shining charm of youth speaking my opinions loudly. But I have an idea of how to access wine’s true self. I need only speak my opinions loudly and speak with clerical zeal. The education and formation of an opinion is a healthy thing, honor yourself and the wine by being bold in opinion, even if it is to say you don’t care for the product. I advocate for the freeing of the public’s palate, and my palate is here at your ready disposal. I encourage you, timid wine drinker, new wine drinker, speak with a loud clear voice and cut down those bloated stigmas of knowledge stopping you from enjoying yourself. To be arrested by the opinion of others would be to never learn.
by Sam Styles