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In article >, says...
>
>"Jens Jensen" in ...
>>
>> no hostility intended, but your point is?
>>
>
>Sorry, from the question I may have expressed it poorly. I hope that this
>will do better!
>
>I was talking to a particular sommelier about an established phenomenon, in
>the United States, of brash or heavy-handed wine connoisseurs who (though
>perhaps truly knowledgeable) like to deliberately put down sommeliers, clash
>egos with them, etc. I have witnessed this myself. One technique of doing
>so in the past was for the customer to spuriously declare bottles "bad" and
>demand that the house replace them. My questions to restaurant wine people
>about their work have brought up these points repeatedly. This particular
>sommelier had grown up with wine and was knowledgeable and self-possessed
>about it, and described his own tactful approaches to that situation, which
>he said definitely arises with some small minority of customers. I suddenly
>thought of the arrogant wine collector in Poe's story, and asked the
>sommelier if he knew it. He did not, so I dug up that link to forward. And
>copied this newsgroup also, in case of interest.
>
>If you can envision a competent retail wine professional whose job requires
>dealing with little indignities from the occasional arrogant customer, you
>might see why that sommelier resonated with Poe's story.
>
>-- Max

Max,

I think that your post was clear, at least to me. It also caused me to pause
and reflect on how I may have treated the cellar-masters, sommeliers, wine-
stewards in the past. As I always try to learn from them and utilize their
expertise, especially if I am not familiar with the chef's preperations. We
usually have great fun together, with possibly only one local exception.

Hunt