A great wine served in fine glassware is beautiful. But it is also seductive and full of strange promise and perhaps the slightest hint of naughtiness, all waiting to be uncoiled.

One of the things I've realized in my decades on this planet is that the world goes on no matter what, and if we are to survive with any amount of grace we all need little oases of tranquility and sanity in our lives. For me, an evening of wine in good company is just such a place.