Pinot Pounders and the Moral Relativism of Wine Preferences

To paraphrase Alder Yarrow, while people can certainly improve their wine tasting experience and become better at recognizing various tastes, smells, and subtleties of different wines, there is no way for one person to categorize another person's wine preferences as "good" or "bad." As we saw in several cases, the Chinese practice of chugging fine wine often made it difficult for certain brands to distinguish themselves on quality, which arguably can only be noticed through sipping and proper tasting. However, although wine elitists may cringe, if certain Chinese consumers gain more utility from chugging their wine with their comrades, who is to say that this method of consumption is inferior to sipping or aspirating? In this vein, the GSB "Pinot Pounders" group was born. The Pinot Pounders gather in social settings to chug a small amount of Pinot Grigio, although there is a small faction in the group advocating for switching to Pinot Noir. At first glance, the group seems like a silly at best band of grad students pretending they are still in college and potentially degrading the experience of wine. However, participating in one of the group's sessions allows one to notice the strong communal bonds formed between the participants through the practice of chugging Pinot Grigio. Just like the traditional Chinese practice of chugging, the method of consumption advocated for by the Pinot Pounders should not be dismissed flippantly.