It depends on whether you like wine or not. If you don’t really like wine, then the answer is pretty obvious — “well, you shouldn’t” and “no, it’s not.” I’m not trying to convince anyone to like something that they don’t or to spend time doing or learning about something that doesn’t bring them joy and awe. We have too much in our lives as it is that don’t bring us joy and awe and too little that does. So, if you’re someone that prefers beer over wine, or you’d rather just drink the wine because it’s there, and it’s not something that calls to you, you’ve got your answer.

If, however, you do like wine or, like me, you love wine, then it’s a whole different story. Learning about wine is an exercise in learning about history, culture, language, geography, and anthropology. It’s a study that focuses on the intersection of people, place, and time by way of flavor, by way of something you drink. In learning about wine, we open our eyes to worlds unknown, and, perhaps even more excitingly, we open our palate to flavors unknown. Wine was invented 8,000 years ago, and its journey over those 8,000 years spans all the continents (Antarctica notwithstanding, of course), and hundreds of different languages and cultures. You could spend your entire life mastering one language, one culture, and one country’s wines, or you could spend it waltzing from one language, country, and culture to the next in a lifelong dance with companions ever-new. For the curious and worldly, wine has more to offer than any person could ever consume in a lifetime, and that’s the thrill and the beauty.

Beyond the intellectual curiosity, learning about wine changes the way we appreciate every single thing we put in our mouths. And by changes it, I mean that it allows us to appreciate more every single cup of coffee, every single afternoon snack, and every single nighttime sweet. In learning about wine, we develop a deeper, richer relationship with our sense of smell and taste. We start to uncover sensations that have been happening in our mouths for our entire lives, but we hadn’t the time or training to pay attention to. And, once we discover them, we cherish the gift of our palates — that they can provide us with such depth of experience we couldn’t have imagined before.

Not everyone likes food and drink, and to them, I smile and wave. If their inclination ever changes, we are here. I understand — learning about wine isn’t for everyone. But, it can be for anyone.