There can be no doubt, wine drinking for many is a highly enjoyable pastime. But choosing a bottle from an extensive restaurant wine list? Is it part of that enjoyable process, or does it have the potential to induce stress or even embarrassment? As a seasoned, and fairly knowledgeable, wine drinker, it is all part of the pleasure of understanding and appreciating wine. However, yesterday, when faced with an extensive tea menu, I was forced to see things from another angle: the realisation that making a sophisticated tea choice with confidence was a daunting prospect. The burden felt huge.
I was taking tea (it would seem one drinks wine but takes tea) at Mariage Frères in Covent Garden’s King Street with a companion who was decidedly more comfortable at reading the tea leaves than I was, and I don’t mind admitting to being completely flummoxed by the ordeal. As a keen tea drinker, I have even been known to claim it as my favourite beverage. Not in there, it wasn’t! While I was confident about choosing an Indian Darjeeling, there were dozens of them to consider. (I had already smashed my water glass and was still no nearer to making my tea choice). Left to my own devices, was I about to make the equivalent choice in the wine world of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, or could I elevate this leaf to a more sophisticated version of itself from, say, the Right Bank of the Gironde. Happily, the services of the tea sommelier ensured I was served a delightful pot of fragrant Darjeeling, picked from gardens planted at 2000 metres in the Himalayas. Following my ordeal, and had I been at home, a lie down, in the manner of any self-respecting Victorian heroine, would have been in order.
I abhor snobbery in all its forms and hope I have never been guilty of it when discussing wine. To use a phrase coined by those at Noble Rot, “wine wankery” has no place, and especially not when in conversation with amateurs. My sense of bewilderment at the array of teas in front of me in that fine establishment will mean I double my efforts to ensure I never fall foul of this drinking crime. No one likes a wine - or tea - snob.