Life and the similarity to good wine

The other day, in front of the wine rack in the supermarket, a thought occurred to me, which I would like to share. It was not a very large wine rack, about five to seven meters long, yet there were hundreds of types of wine. Whether white, red, rose or sparkling wines; of each type of wine there were several grape varieties, which were offered by different wine presses. But what exactly does wine have to do with philosophy?

"IN VINO VERITAS" / "In wine lies the truth".

Alcaeus from lesbos

Just as the different wine presses make their wines from different grape varieties to highlight certain tastes, life can also have different tastes. A wine can be sweet, sour, fruity, nutty and much more and even more versatile so can life taste. We can be happy, sad, angry, amazed, relaxed and much more. The more different things come together, the fuller the taste.

Just as sourness, bitterness, or other supposedly undesirable flavors contribute to the full bouquet of various types of wine, so too can sadness, disappointment, or other undesirable blows of fate contribute to a full sense of life. After all, you can't appreciate sweetness if it comes without the sourness or other flavors.

Let's assume that wine would only taste sweet. In other words, it would be just grape juice or, in the worst case, just sugar water. Of course, most people prefer a sweet wine, but a good sommelier knows that it is the versatility of flavors that makes a good wine. This is exactly how most people feel about their lives. Everyone would like to live a pleasant, simple and relaxed life. However, storms will always come up in the course of a lifetime and it is these very storms that make one a good sailor, because anyone can find their way to port when the sun is shining and the wind is perfect. In a nutshell, it is the difficult situations that make you a better version of yourself.

As it takes the art of the sommelier to fully understand wine, or at least the taste of a wine lover, so it takes the art of the philosopher to understand and enjoy life in its fullness. As Alan Watts once said: It is the ups and downs that make life so versatile. Otherwise, it would be a flat and not particularly varied experience.

What is your opinion on this topic, should life be only sweet and if so wouldn't it be too boring quickly? Feel free to write your opinion in the comments.