02/05/07 Wine Snob

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. Today we are answering questions from the email. Recently a listener wrote to ask "I have a friend who features himself a wine expert. He has money, he reads the Wine Spectator and he believes everything they write. He brags about his wine collection constantly. Is there any good way to shut down a wine snob?" Hmmm & a good way to shut down a wine snob? I must assume that by a "good way" you mean a polite way or do you mean a comment that puts them down and shuts them up? Either one is offensive to me. I am guessing that you share your friends enthusiasm for wine but tire of the one upsmanship when comparing collections. Well why bother attempting to insult your friend  why chance the loss of a friend? Why not embrace the idea of admiring his wine collection? Maybe getting him to open and share some of those wines with you? I for one appreciate anyone willing to seriously invest in wine and I can certainly understand their pride once they have put together a nice collection. As far as getting all of his recommendations from the Wine Spectator that is too bad and perhaps a dialogue about alternative resources for wine recommendations would be of interest to your friend. The novel idea of taking wine classes and learning to trust his own palate would in the future be a pleasant way to spend time together. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.