Why Wine? The answer is much more than its physical effect

“Our present western world is harassed, hustled and driven. It excludes leisure, tranquillity, permits no unexciting pursuits, no contemplation, no slow maturing of ideas, no perfectioning of individual style.” —Bernard Berenson (1956) “Why wine?” It’s a question I get asked from time to time, usually at a dinner party or in a casual encounter with someone who discovers what I do for a living. Typically, I offer a throwaway, cavalier reply such as, “It beats working” (which it sure does).