Through the years I've encountered numerous wine drinkers. While many are true lovers of wine, there exists a select group of those that don't enjoy wine simply for the enjoyment of it. They enjoy wine so that they can tell others that they enjoy it. They preach about their wine, they suffer for their wine, they criticize the wine selections of others. They are wine snobs.
Whereas most culture snobs (food, music, art, etc) will tell you that they're snobs about their preferred cultural medium, wine snobs are often oblivious to their status as a bane to the existence of those of us that actually enjoy wine simply to enjoy it.
Wine snobs are easy to pick out. They tend to be white, upper to middle class, often young, and often try to be trendy in both dress and manner of carrying themselves. In short, they're the sort of person that you tend to want to smack as soon as you see them, but restrain yourself from doing so.
Wine snobs will can often be found at wine tastings, cocktail parties, trendy cafes or bars, and are often overheard talking with somebody about how much they enjoy wine, how much they spend on wine, and how if wine doesn't come from a certain region (usually France) and cost a certain amount, it's not really worth drinking. These people must be stopped.
The key to making sure that you yourself don't become a wine snob is to remember a few simple things. First, just because wine costs more than you make in a month doesn't mean it's good. I'm not saying I haven't spent $50 on a bottle of wine before, but the amount I spent on it didn't make it any better or any more enjoyable. The wine did that.
Second, just because the wine you're drinking has a name you can pronounce doesn't mean it's bad. Many wine snobs are firm believers that only wine made in France is worth drinking, a belief that most of France also shares. I'm not saying I don't enjoy French wine, but that doesn't mean I don't also enjoy Italian wine, Australina/New Zealand wine, South American wine, American wine....I think you get the point. Region doesn't make a wine better or worse. Sure, some regions make some varietals better than others, but that doesn't mean it can't be good from elsewhere.
Third, just because you don't drink a Chateau this or that that's older than your first born child doesn't mean you're drinking bad wine. Contrary to popular belief, aging wine too much can actually be detrimental. How you say? Wine turns to vinegar eventually, and while corking technology has come a long ways in recent years, any wine that is old enough to suit a wine snob wasn't bottled during the time of synthetic corks or screwcaps. That means that odds are pretty good that oxygen has found its way into the bottle and turned the wine into vinegar.
Fourth, and last, don't suffer for your wine. I'm a big believer in trying new wines, experimenting with food pairings, and moving outside of my wine "comfort zone". Sure, I'm a pinot noir guy through and through, but that doesn't mean I'm miserable if I don't have a bottle of pinot noir from France that was bottled in 1985. If I want to suffer for something I'll go back to a Catholic Church and suffer for a religion. Wine is supposed to be enjoyed, not a torturous experience.
Wine snobs are everywhere, and with the growth of the popularity of wine, more are sprouting up every day. Just remember what I've listed above and you can both avoid becoming a wine snob and, if the moment presents itself, put a wine snob in their place. Remember to enjoy your wine, no matter what kind you happen to be drinking.
