A major study – that even Paul likes -- says our backgrounds help determine what flavors we enjoy or just what we taste. Plus, we have some questions from the food-and-wine scene in NY, and our Horrible Wine Writing is rugged but fruity.

We give praise to wine writer Fred Swan for a piece that said all those wine snobs who call wines “right” or “wrong” are noodle heads (our words). He did say it’s bad for the industry and for folks who just want a glass of wine. Also today, listeners ask about box wines, spitting etiquette at wine festivals and whether wine bottles can use less glass, plus our Horrible Wine Writing swears it’s unique, but we don’t know why.

A listener asks if wine is different in summer. We say, sort of. But with more details. Other listeners ask about carrying open bottles in a car, about the difference between Sauvignon Blanc and Fume Blanc, and about tasting room tasting notes that seem

An academic study shows a majority of wine drinkers think a wine tastes better if they think the bottle had a cork, not a screwcap. We have other studies about how wine might determine how often you go to the hospital, and about factors that affect people’s wine buying preferences. Plus listeners ask about wine at weddings, how to tell when a wine has gone bad and why sommeliers never seem to recommend wine from America. Plus, in our Horrible Wine Writing, yet another cloddish writer calls us fool.

The Netflix movie “Wine Country” is about enduring friendships and creating your own village with your friends. It isn’t about wine. So, of course, wine writers are complaining that it doesn’t take wine seriously enough. We say they need to get a life. Also, listeners ask about drinking Cabernet in summer, whether machine harvesting is good or bad and about winery policies on limos. Plus our Horrible Writing is a marriage of intense fruit and jibberish.

We look at all the ways the bad apples among somms and wine servers mistreat their customers in the name of “appropriate wine service.” Listeners ask about foil cutters, Port and hangovers, plus our Horrible Wine Writing has a brushy graininess.

We recorded in the tasting hall at the Vancouver International Wine Festival and hear what Canadians think about California wine, answer questions about what Americans know about Canadian wine (Hint: not much) and learn what is the plural of moose. Plus we talk about the surprisingly outstanding wine from British Columbia, give some history on the region, find there is Horrible Wine Writing everywhere, and we offer some Truly Good Writing from a wine called Apologetic Red.

We built a Way Forward Machine (using similar technology to our Way Back Machine) and look at what the future wine world might be like with edible bottles, high tech production and, maybe, Robot Sommeliers who are not snobs. Wine writing, however, is likely to remain Horrible, so we’ll still have work to do and snobs to make fun of.

This is a big night for bringing special wine to dinner out, the prefect time to answer corkage questions sent by the founder of Corkageonline.com. Plus we have a question from Budapest about Blue Wine and another about what to do when the bar runs out of its advertised special wine. And we fired up the wayback machine for some Historic History about Valentine’s Day.

At the request of the four-member Venice, FL Wine Club, we offer some suggestions on home tastings. And listeners ask whether it hurts to keep taking a wine in and out for the fridge and why wine bottles don’t come in different, cool shapes like spirits bottles. Plus, our Horrible Wine Writing is particularly chewy with a New World finish.