My journey into the world of wine didn’t begin with grand tastings or vineyard tours. It started with one kind, curious guest whom I served for 28 days straight.
He wasn’t a sommelier or a wine critic. He was a well-traveled man who loved wine—and more importantly, knew how to talk about it in a way that was simple, approachable, and deeply human. Every evening, he would order a bottle, I would serve it, and he would casually tell me what I had just poured. Sometimes he left the bottle half-full and encouraged me to enjoy it with my dinner after service. One night, he even gave me my very first wine book.
I remember tasting a high-end California wine for the first time and wondering, “Why is this so expensive? What’s the point?” I didn’t get it. Now, after years of learning and tasting, I understand a bit more—not just about wine itself, but about the economics of wine. Like anything in life, price isn’t always tied to cost or quality. Sometimes, it’s simply about what someone is willing to pay to feel something—important, special, exclusive.
But what truly hooked me wasn’t the price tag. It was that this man made wine feel welcoming. Unlike some restaurant managers I had worked with before—who made it seem like unless you were born in a vineyard and raised on crushed grapes, you couldn’t possibly understand wine—this guest made it okay to be curious, even clueless.
The Two Extremes I See in Wine Today
On one end, there’s the elitism: the overcomplicated, pretentious conversations that turn wine into a secret code only the initiated can crack. I recently watched a customer buy a wine gift. When the server made a thoughtful suggestion, the customer replied, “Do you have something more expensive?” They weren’t interested in flavor, origin, or style—just price. Because in their mind, the value of the wine was tied to how impressive the label looked, not what was inside.
And on the other end? Indifference. I stood in a beautifully curated wine shop—one that offered bottles from every corner of the world—and watched someone buy a generic 3-liter sangria. Nothing wrong with sangria, of course. But why come to a shop with so much potential for discovery, only to settle for something mass-produced and characterless?
Why This Matters
I don’t judge either of these choices. But I do think it’s a missed opportunity.
Wine is rich in culture, in stories, in nuance—and it deserves more than being reduced to either a status symbol or a default grocery item. Sadly, many people avoid exploring wine simply because they’ve met the wrong messenger: someone too arrogant, too technical, or just too uninterested to spark their curiosity.
The world of wine is vast. It’s not just Bordeaux and Napa. It’s Serbia. It’s Uruguay. It’s volcanic islands and alpine valleys. It’s ancient grapes and accidental discoveries.
All it takes to unlock this world is someone willing to speak your language, to make wine feel human, not highbrow.
As a wine educator, my specialty is simplifying wine—not because wine is simple, but because it shouldn’t feel snobby or intimidating. I believe wine is something we’re meant to explore, enjoy, and be curious about. It’s a journey, not a test.
If you’ve ever felt shut out of the wine world, let me be the person who opens the door.
Explore our WSET classes and wine tastings
Let’s simplify wine together.
Stay Thirsty and Wise!
Petar Velickovic, DipWSET
Petar is a certified WSET Wine & Spirits Educator and the founder of Thirsty and Wise, a wine education and consultancy company based in Miami. With over a decade of experience in the wine and hospitality industry, Petar blends deep expertise with a passion for making wine education accessible, engaging, and practical. Whether he’s teaching WSET classes or curating unforgettable tasting experiences, his mission is simple: to help people learn more, taste better, and feel confident about what’s in their glass.