The great wine debate

There is no battleground quite as chaotic, passionate and unintentionally hilarious as a casual get-together where non-experts (read: self-appointed sommeliers with YouTube degrees) begin to argue about which wine is best.

- SONJA BROWN

I saw it recently. Someone showed up at my housewarming party with a bottle of something that “paired beautifully with duck” the last time they watched MasterChef. Another guest immediately raised an eyebrow. “Oh. A Merlot?” - the way some people say “Oh. You still use Hotmail?”

From there, it spiralled. Someone inevitably declared: “I only drink old-world reds.”

Translation: “I once went to a wine farm in France for three hours on a Contiki tour and now I judge people who say Shiraz instead of Syrah.”