I found this in The Wine Lover's Companion while looking up things like blanc de noir, blanc de blanc, and saignée; and I thought it good enough to pass along in case you haven't seen it. I trust I'm not in too much violation of the copyright laws.
"Wine is alive, and when you offer it to your fellow man you are offering him life. More than that, you are calling out more life in him, you are engaging in what might be called a creative flattery, for you are asking him to summon up his powers of discrimination, to excercise his taste, or perhaps merely to evince curiosity of a desire to learn. I know no other liquid that, placed in the mouth, forces one to think."
Clifton Fadiman (American author - 1904-1999).
