Defending Wine Culture

Wine has been viewed by successive governments as a form of alcohol to be taxed. There is little/no understanding of the importance of wine as an accompaniment to food, but also how taking wine, in the right spirit, can be a civilising influence. Not only has wine inspired poetry, music, and art over the centuries, it is the social drink par excellence, bringing people together, acting as the catalyst for making new friends. In a wide-ranging podcast, Emily, Jamie and Doug celebrate the joy of wine drinking, acknowledging how the flavours in a glass of wine may transport to different places and times, how wine can break down barriers and create a form of communion, and finally how important it is to understand and appreciate the very culture of wine, from the people who make it and the place it comes from, to the drinkers throughout the world who take pleasure in this unique beverage. As Christopher Hitchens says: Drinking wine affirms our humanity.