One of the great pleasures of drinking wine is that it gives you the opportunity to experiment with a vision of living in which few Americans get to partake. Sure, this month’s “Wine Enthusiast” might have an article about the beautiful Bed and Breakfasts of Pfalz, Germany, and perhaps there’s a recipe from Seattle’s hottest new restaurant that would take 48 hours and a kitchen brigade to be able to replicate at home… but let’s not kid ourselves, these are occasional indulgences, not the lifestyle they’re being sold as.

I was on vacation last week, spending it at the lakehouse my family owns in a small town on the border between Maine and New Hampshire. There are two restaurants that I can find in this town, and I’m quite certain that the wine selections come from a Franzia box at each. Of course, working at Colonial, I packed accordingly. I was determined to not drink beer, to prove to myself that I am quite capable of living a magazine article. This was nearly a disaster. Continue reading Wine’s greatest weakness