Wine as the perfect antidote to close mindedness

by PamelaW
(Astoria, NY)

I chose the wine business 30 years ago because it appealed to me for one reason: it transcends origins, culture, color, beliefs, etc. Before taking that path, as a teenager, my cousin and I dreamed of opening a restaurant because we both were most happy talking about food and making it, until we realized the ridiculous hours and economics of it.

Sitting down around a meal, opening a bottle of wine always prompted my fellow country men (French) to start some sort of political conversation at some point during the meal, usually between the cheese and the dessert course. It was considered rude to start that subject before (for obvious reasons) but I am used to it, and even if I decided that political arguments did not make for a fun time (to each his own beliefs and why ruin a perfectly good meal with endless discussions if people don't agree), my Mom, now in her late 80's, considers me a coward for refusing to engage in political discussions.

That said, I am probably the only person left on this planet not to use Facebook: I enjoy sharing views with as many people as possible face to face, not hiding behind my keyboard, even if I still have not heard a single argument that justifies the outcome of last year's Presidential election.

Thank goodness for wine, it helps digesting the daily grind of life, and thank goodness for hospitality and meeting others, it helps overall understanding of other people.

So let's not ban the live conversation for the sake of political correctness!
:)