But, but, but what about tasting menus?

This is the part of the conversation where I admit to you that I am a recovering wine snob.

I could not fathom being able to go to a fancy restaurant or a date night without the wine. I thought you had to pair lovely meals with wine. I've done A LOT of wine tasting, I used to talk about wine a lot (until I switched to tequila because, well, calories), but I digress... you get the point.

The myth that I full heartedly believed was "I like the taste of alcohol." I've now learned that it actually kills your taste buds, because it's an aesthetic and numbs your ability to taste the food properly. (There are more and more chefs now offering tasting menus without wine so their culinary genius can really shine!)

Think you enjoy the taste too? Think about the first few times you had a drink- whether wine or a spirit- what was your reaction? You were probably in your teens and you probably cough-chocked it down to look cool. But that initial reaction was your body telling you it was ethanol i.e. poison.

Due to a ton of societal pressure, we all become used to the taste over time and maybe, eventually start to enjoy the taste. But would you actually reach for wine if it didn't give you a buzz? You certainly wouldn't reach for a spirit on it's own for the taste. In fact, you've got to mix them with sugary mixers to get them down. When I thought about that, that I actually would never just want booze for the taste, it was an eye-opener.

After a lot of reflection, I uncovered that having wine at a restaurant on a date night or night with the girls was about the experience. That experience is about the food, the company and ambiance, which are all a lot more enjoyable when you can fully engage with your friends, actually taste the food, and remember the evening.

I'll leave you with this fun fact,  The American Association of Wine Economists conducted a study of over 6,000 wine drinkers in a blind taste test. Guess what? They determined that most people preferred the cheaper brands. Think about that next time you're swirling and sniffing your £££ bottle of vino. We can giggle about this together because that used to be me.