I’ll never forget the day I went on a weekend business trip with my boss. I adored her. She always treated me more like a girlfriend than an underling. Therefore, I wasn’t surprised when she invited me into the lobby after a long day of meetings to share a fine bottle of wine in front of the hotel fireplace.
I used to laugh when she referred to herself as a “wine-snob” until she told me the price of the bottle of wine she was about to share with me. “You just spent $25.00 on a bottle of wine?”….you’ve got to be kidding me!” She laughed at my disgust. “You just don’t get it, Traci”. Clearly, I didn’t. She poured the glass and set it in front of me. “Just wait until you taste it…” she smirked.
“Nope, I can’t do it”. I told her as I pushed the glass back in front of her. “This glass of wine will completely ruin my taste for the cheap stuff.” While I pretended to be joking with her I really wasn’t kidding. “Come on…try it”, she pleaded.
I gave in and took a sip (she was my boss, after all). I knew it. It was deeee-lish! I could taste the grapes, mixed with the ever-so-subtle hint of hickory. “So, that’s what they are always talking about on Food TV”, I thought.
Yep, she ruined me. Every time I drink a glass of “gas-station cooler Cabernet” or “grocery-store Zinfandel” I am haunted by the bold, rich Merlot my self-proclaimed “wine-snob” boss shared with me.
While I am still not quite ready to drop $25.00 on a bottle of wine, I have certainly learned a valuable lesson. If you want to be content with your frugal splurges…try to avoid the finer things in life at all costs.