Drink While You Think

Wine Prompts Target Dry Conversations

By Warren Rojas

Courtesy of Tabletopics

Wine appreciation should be all about ceaseless exploration, congenial examination and, with any luck, frequent degustation. But short of having Robert Parker over for a marathon double-blind tasting, some wine buffs seem content to continue discussing the same producers/regions/varietals they already know rather than risk leaping into a discussion about anything outside their predetermined comfort zone.

Enter Wine Topics—oenophile ice breakers designed to get the conversation flowing as freely as Beaujolais Nouveau in November.

The quirky, cardboard cutouts contain 40 wine-centric interrogatories that run the gamut from nostalgic (“What’s your best memory of sharing a bottle with someone special?”) to light-hearted (“What’s the funniest thing that’s happened after a few glasses?”) to philosophic (“Would you rather drink a mediocre wine with incredible people or an incredible wine with mediocre people?”) and everywhere in between. Most questions seem to focus more on value-judgments and personal tastes over institutional knowledge, although there are plenty of opportunities to let your inner wine snob shine as well (“What friends would most appreciate a vintage wine from a first-growth Bordeaux chateau?”).

Now, if only someone would put out a collection of ribald cheese anecdotes …

To find a local retailer that sells the wine-themed interrogatories, or to peruse the broader Table Topics product line, visit: www.tabletopics.com.

(January 2008)

Tags: Chew on this