Their first step was to discuss what a sub-culture really is. According the merriam-webster.com online dictionary a sub-culture is defined as:
"an ethnic, regional, economic, or social group exhibiting characteristic patterns of behavior sufficient to distinguish it from others within an embracing culture or society."Their second step was to discuss the perceptions they already had about what wine enthusiasts were like. For the most part, the students felt that wine lovers were predominately white, upper-middle class, college educated, cat owners!
Once we had some preconceived notions to work with, we saddled up and took a visit to the San Antonio Winery in Los Angeles, CA. There the students were given a tour of the facilities, told about the process of making wine, and given a history of the Italian family that opened the winery almost 100 years ago. I gave the students a brief lecture about the process of wine tasting and sent them to the tasting bar to mingle with the winos and try tasting wine for themselves. As a supplemental assignment, students were also encouraged to watch Sideways, a comedy about a die hard wine enthusiast.
So now the final product is at hand. Were the students right? Are wine lovers just white, yuppie snobs? Do these folks really constitute their own unique sub culture? Or were the students pleasantly suprised to find out they are just another crowd of drunks? Stay tuned...their papers are due here at this blog on August 20, 2008.
Students: In order to submit your essay, hit the reply button and paste the text of your essay in the reply box.
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6 comments:
Derrick Doyle
08/17/2008
Comp. 1
Mrs Chauser
The Truth About Wine Myths
Myths tend to always be something they’re not. When it comes to myths about wine connoisseur they seem to not always fit the bill. These connoisseur are really the opposite of most of these myths. Its important to separate myth from fact so we can understand what kind of people make up this group. Myths about wine connoisseur tend to be false because they are made up by people who don’t understand the culture.
One myth about wine connoisseur is that they tend to be predominantly white. That is not totally true because when I went to the San Antonio Winery I observed many different ethnicities. There were a handful of ethnicities from Anglo to African-Americans. This myth is false because wine is enjoyed in almost every continent.
Another myth about wine enthusiast is that they are rich. Wine is enjoyed in small countries where families make less than low-income Americans. In some small countries it is their culture to enjoy wine. At the winery I saw an assortment of different socio-economic statuses from middle to upper income groups. This myth is false because small towns even celebrate by drinking wine they made for the occasion.
Myths like wine connoisseurs tend to be very picky is something you may see in a movie. Many may think this is false since the examples they have seen have been over-blown and look really picky, but in real life they are picky. They may not be as picky as in the movies, but they still are. When a person who enjoys wine smells the wine and does those little rituals most wine enthusiasts do, it shows how picky they can be. This myth is actually true because of these small rituals they do.
One last myth about people who drink wine is that they may own cats. A lot of these people own cats, but an equal amount own dogs. This may seem like a legitimate myth because like their owners, cats are picky, but not always the case. One of my family friends goes to wine conventions and he owns multiple dogs. This myth is totally false because a lot of these people own a lot of different types of animals.
Whether the myth is that wine enthusiasts are rich or they own cats, you can’t trust some myths. The only way to find out if the myth is real is to witness some of these types of people and draw your own conclusions. It is important to understand this culture because everything you hear may not be true. Also you wouldn’t want o upset someone if you assume they’re one way went they’re not.
Genesis Cabanas
August 18th, 2008
Wine Enthusiasts
Being in a society or culture that can be referred to as a subculture can be difficult at times. Different types of people joined together by one thing they love most is wonderful. People from all over the world share their traditions and come together to embrace their customary. Wide ranges of economic backgrounds unite as one to have an experience. Both, males and females enjoy unique rituals as they prosper through the night. The wine culture is beautiful, it contains a variety of people that hold unique traditions and stand out from the crowd. Wine enthusiasts are indeed a subculture; they’ve got certain behavioral patterns that prove it.
The basic dictionary definition for the word, subculture is “a group having social, economic, or other traits distinctive enough to distinguish it from others within the same culture or society.”(Dictionary.com)This means that a certain group consists of their own particular style, which can vary from the way they dress to the type of food they’re restricted to. Also, the definition pertains to a certain behavioral pattern that separates them from the rest and makes the group unique. A subculture is great, who wouldn’t want to be part of a society who is completely different and unique.
I honestly used to have a completely different perspective of wine drinkers than what I know of them now. I was restricted to that mythical wine enthusiast profile: that they were all highly wealthy, mostly Anglo, and many of them sophisticated woman. I recently visited a historical winery in Los Angeles called the San Antonio Winery and it was very interesting to me. I learned many things about the wine culture that I wasn’t aware of. While going on a tour around the winery I noticed different types of people that I wouldn’t expect to be interested in wine. I also came to think that it takes time to be able to appreciate great wine. After visiting the winery, I can see that things aren’t always what people make it out to be.
The habits of wine drinkers are perhaps what make them a subculture. Wine drinkers are so unique about how they drink wine. Some swivel the glass, and smell the aroma of grapes, by then their taste buds can’t wait much longer to savor that scent, and make the smooth liquid flow around the mouth. The wine culture is, in fact, so distinctive that it cannot be compared to any other particular group. Wine lovers are so particular about how it is they drink their wine, so they can never be compared to beer drinkers or hard liquor drinker. That’s what being a subculture is about, being apart from the rest and having certain traits that makes you unmistakable.
The wine culture of today doesn’t have any boundaries for who can or can’t drink wine. Wine lovers come in all different types of shapes, colors, and sizes. That’s why we can’t call wine drinkers an ethnic group, there’s not just one ethnicity drinking wine. It has been said that only the “rich” drink wine, but not in this era. People of all economic backgrounds can afford wine. Sure, the more pricy wines may taste a bit better than the less expensive, but that doesn’t make it any less of a wine. It has come to my attention that people from different regions of the world drink wine. That’s very interesting because if you ask someone from the west how they like to enjoy their wine, and if you ask someone from the south to describe the same they could have two completely different answers. Which I believe is the beauty of it all, to share your love for wine with someone else who understands why wine is so wonderful.
Wine enthusiasts are definitely a subculture. The definition of a subculture contains a group that has its shared customs and has traits distinctive enough to set it apart from others in the same culture or society. I believe wine drinkers meet the criteria enough to be a subculture. They sure have a certain way to drink their wine that is unmistakable and quite interesting.
Adam Avila
August 18, 2008
A Winery Myth
“There are many myths about wine and most of them are not true.” For instance many people think that most of the wine drinkers are Anglo. Another would be that a lot of people think that wine is like a beer they can just drink well guess again there are steps to drinking wine that many people do not know. Another myth is that all wine drinkers have to be wealthy. Most people tend to think that more women drink wine then men do?
One of the most common myths about wine lovers is that they are primarily Anglo. Based on my observations that myth is not true what so ever. Many other cultures drink wine all over the world. I went to the San Antonio Winery and I saw different people drink the wine that is being sold there. Many people like to drink wine when they are all together with the family from the west coast all the way over to east coast. I think all cultures have discovered the lovely taste of wine.
When drinking wine most people think you can just drink it all quickly. You can ask any wine drinker who has been drinking wine for a couple of years and they will tell you that they go through a step-by-step process. First of all, they swirl the wine and hold the glass up to the light, then they smell the wine, and then slowly taste the wine. It looks like they rinsing their mouth out with it, it’s a very funny moment. I have been told that the red wine has more alcohol and the white wine would be sweeter.
Another myth is that all wine drinkers have to be wealthy. I have heard many low income people talk about all the “rich people always thinking they’re cool because they drink wine” or that “all wine sucks.” This is because they are not seeing the brighter side of things. People today do think wine in general is expensive, but to be honest it is not. I went to the San Antonio Winery and I was looking at the cheap prices I’m a lower income individual so saying that it’s not expensive is a big thing. I have come to a correct idea that most wine is not expensive but if you would like a better source of wine get ready to pay some bucks.
One of the rarest things I have heard about wine drinkers is that most wine drinkers are women. I think that it can be on an even scale with women loving to drink wine with every meal. I have heard and seen many men and women drink wine but to be honest I do consider the fact that men tend to lean towards the hard liquor or beer. I think that there is a higher percentage leaning towards women drinking more wine than men. At my experience at the San Antonio Winery I seem to believe that women are more excited about drinking the wine then men are.
Over all there are many myths to be told about wine drinkers. “There are many myths about wine and most of them are not true.” Like the only people to drink wine would be the Anglo people that are seen not to be true. Another is that most people do not know how to drink wine that is true. Do all wine drinkers have to be wealthy no it’s not true all classes of people from wealthy to the poor all can buy a bottle of wine. Are wine drinkers mostly women I think that there is a high percentage leaning towards women that love wine the most?
Sophisticated Drunks
by William Randolph
Wine drinkers are sophisticated drunks. They are sophisticated because they have a well endowed knowledge of the wine make process. They also have a very intricate protocol for tasting wine and before drinking wine. They’re drunks, bottom line no matter how they dress it up their drinking alcohol and its common knowledge alcohol intoxicates.
Wine drinkers are an odd subculture to the world of drunks, however they are a part of the drinking community. They even will go as far as to taste 30 bottles of wine to chose one to fit there pallet. True Wine drinkers are well informed about the wines they drink. And will stick to a brand and year of wine like a chain smoker. truly wine drinkers take their fermented fruits serious.
Wine drinkers process for tasting starts as such , they hold out their arms and swirl the wine in their glasses, evaluating subtle nuances in a wine’s color that give clues to it variety region, and. They unselfconsciously stick their noses deep into their glasses and sniff, inhaling aromas that give them further clues about the grapes used to make the wine and the manner in which they were fermented. They speak a language that describe a wine’s “depth” and “nose,” using terms like “long” and “earthy.”
Wine drinkers drink for taste or to accent a meal some wine drinkers would have you believe, However beer drinkers say the same thing. Most beer drinkers drink to get drunk also. Furthermore the weakest argument I’ve heard is “wine is not alcohol” .I guess many have overlooked the labels on every bottle that says Alco % 7-14. The last time I checked you can still get a DUI from drinking wine before or after a meal.
Wine drinkers are "sophisticated" "drunks". Let’s break down the expression. Sophisticated means “Having acquired worldly knowledge or refinement; lacking natural simplicity”. As previously stated, “They are sophisticated because they have a well endowed knowledge of the wine make process”, check one. Second meaning, “Very complex or complicated” (American Heritage Dictionary), I also said “They have a very intricate protocol for tasting and before drinking a wine”, Check two. Now the meaning of drunk, “Intoxicated with alcoholic liquor to the point of impairment of physical and mental faculties” American Heritage® Dictionary. . California state law says 0.08% is being under the influenced "California's 0.08% BAC Limit and Administrative License Suspension Laws Working to Deter Drunk Driving Accidents(California Department of Motor Vehicles,1997). So one drink will do it.* Case closed.
Essay on are wine enthusiasts a sub culture or just snobs?
When it comes to wine, there are two camps in the battle of one-upmanship. Either it’s all the same, or the more expensive product really does taste that different. Depending on how you frame your identity, and perhaps more on how much money you make, you select one and claim it’s the optimal viewpoint.
Not particularly interesting. The same strategy is used to qualify one’s personality as optimal for any number of attributes. Anyone braver than you is a reckless idiot; anyone less so is a coward. What is interesting, however, is that this is a novel framing for wine enthusiasts.
Historically, a penchant for fine wines reflected a cultured upbringing and disposable wealth. It said, “I have enough money and taste not to mind spending ten times the money for ten percent better taste.” Fine wine reflected the buyer’s accomplishment in other areas of life to a greater degree than his exposure to nice things. That it offered so little bang for the buck was the root of its placement as a status symbol.
In an argument with a modern day wine snob, you’d find something inexplicably different. His love of expensive wines would not tread on his sense of value. The argument would outlandishly invoke a dubious dollar per palate cost-benefit analysis in which the claim was made that a $200 bottle actually tastes ten times better than a $20 bottle.
Certainly, one may be cultured enough to appreciate the differences others may not. But a claim of an order of magnitude of difference is outlandish. It is a qualitatively different argument. No longer is one drinking fine wines because he can afford to, but because his taste buds are fundamentally different. Taste moves from a statement of decadence or accomplishment to actual genetic superiority.
Emmanuel Achilefu.
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