Have You Ever Broken Up With a Wine?

Many of the wines I love most go beyond the flavor in the bottle and are linked to happy memories: strolling through the vineyard, tasting barrel samples with the winemaker, or sharing a special bottle with a loved one. But sometimes, the flavor of a great wine is totally obliterated by a sour and bitter memory; it becomes a wine that I avoid because I don’t want to deal with the feelings it conjures up. With so much fabulous wine in the world, I don’t feel like I’m missing out.

Thankfully, my list of canceled wines is pretty short. However, there’s absolutely no reason for me to revisit the wine made by the obnoxious estate owner who made culturally insensitive “jokes” throughout lunch. The only thing I can taste is his contempt, not Chardonnay.  Life’s too short to drink wine made by or with jerks, no matter how good it is. 

Of course, there are less dramatic reasons for breaking up with a wine. Perhaps its style changed and no longer pleases your palate. Or maybe an exorbitant price increase makes it feel like a hustle.  

Sometimes we simply fall out of love with a wine. In that case, you can always look at the bottle and rely on the timeless breakup line: “It’s not you, it’s me.”