Why I am a wine drinker:
Put samples of half a dozen or so mass-market American beers before a panel of drinkers in a blind taste test, and even the most confirmed quaffers would be lucky to match two to the right brand.
I've had a dark beer or two that had a distinctive taste, and I've had a couple of brews that were truly awful -- a Korean brand stands out in my memory. Otherwise, beer tastes like beer; all those people who swear by their brands are more or less delusional. Wines tend to be marketed by kind or region of production -- they really do taste different.
Not that I have anything against brand loyalty. You couldn't pay me to give up Folger's Gourmet Supreme or Charmin Ultra or Entenmann's chocolate donuts or Old Spice deodorant or a dozen more. But that's loyalty based on experience of the difference, not slogans or jingles.
Comments
I like a beer now and then....as long as it's ANYTHING other than domestic swill!
Bud brews with RICE...what's THAT say to you? It makes ME think of Vietnamese beer...(whew). REAL beer uses barley...and the more the "merrier".
Give me a good Guinness or Harp (Ireland), or even a Watney's Red barrel (England)...that will put a smile on my face every time.
As to wines...been to a winery (in NJ)...I recommend that to anyone that drinks wine.
Locales DO make a distinct difference, as well as the time of year the wines are produced. What passes as Merlot in one part of the globe doesn't cut the mustard in others.
I prefer lambrusco or a Rhine wine, but it takes a while to find the "right" area from which to buy.
Sometimes, it's trial and error, but in that process, one might find something overlooked in the past.
Can't say that about beer all that much, can you?
;)
Did you know that Keystone Beer is manufactured by Coors? It's exactly the same beer in a different can. So if you're not a beer snob--you can get the same buzz for less.
Wine is a much better drink though--it goes so well with cheese and good friends. Try some of the wines from South Africa--super!
Leo, Leo, Leo ...
You need to try something besides the BudCoorsMiiler swill that passed off as beer in mainstream America. Someday we'll have to go and try a couple of pints of real beer. Just don't plan on smoking.