Why we overthink wine, and how to stop
There was a time when choosing wine felt instinctive.
You picked a bottle because it suited the moment. Because you liked the label. Because someone you trusted recommended it. You opened it, poured a glass, and moved on with your evening.
Somewhere along the way, wine became complicated.
Shelves filled with unfamiliar terms. Labels demanded decoding. Lists grew longer, language became more technical, and confidence quietly slipped away. What was once a pleasure began to feel like a decision that needed justification.
We see this every day.
Through the questions we’re asked in the shop. Through conversations at tastings. Through the articles people return to again and again in our Journal. The uncertainty is rarely about taste. It’s about permission.
Am I choosing the right thing? Am I missing something? Should I know more than this?
When wine turns into a test
Much of modern wine culture is built around rules.
What to drink with what. Which regions matter. How much to spend. What counts as good taste. These rules are often well-intentioned, but taken together they can create pressure rather than clarity.
The result is that many people stop trusting their own instincts.
They choose what feels safe rather than what feels right. They hesitate in front of shelves. They overthink menus. They worry about getting it wrong.
Wine becomes a test, rather than a companion to real life.
What actually builds confidence
Confidence with wine does not come from memorising grapes or regions.
It comes from understanding context.
Knowing how wine behaves with food. Knowing how it changes depending on time of day. Knowing when price matters and when it doesn’t. Knowing how to choose something that suits the moment you are actually in.
These are quiet skills. They are rarely taught directly. They develop through attention rather than expertise.
And once they’re in place, wine begins to feel easier again.
A pattern we kept noticing
Over time, we realised that many of the conversations we were having were circling the same themes.
People weren’t asking for more information. They were asking for reassurance. They wanted a way to choose wine that felt calm, considered, and human.
Not another rulebook. Not another list to memorise. Something slower, more reflective, and grounded in everyday life.
That realisation led us to bring these ideas together into a longer piece of writing.
A slower approach to choosing wine
We’ve put that thinking into Issue No. 01: A Modern Guide to Choosing Wine, a long-form digital guide that explores how to choose wine with confidence, without the rules.
It’s not designed to be read in one sitting. It’s something to return to. A companion for moments when choosing wine starts to feel harder than it should.
Inside, we explore how sommeliers actually think about wine, how to approach shelves and lists calmly, how to choose wine for food and without it, and how taste develops over time.
It’s written for wine-lovers and the wine-curious alike. No jargon required.
Wine, back where it belongs
At its best, wine supports life rather than interrupting it.
It brings people together. It marks moments. It adds texture to evenings, meals, and conversations. It doesn’t ask for perfection. It asks for presence.
That’s the spirit in which this guide was written.
If choosing wine has ever felt more stressful than it should, this is an invitation to slow down and trust yourself again.
Until next time, stay nosey.
