Never has there been a time when there is so much interesting wine to drink. That's why there can be no other explanation for a poor wine selection than laziness. Not even cheapness can be used to explain away bad wines as there are too many good cheap wines to keep track of these days. Others plead the need for continuity, but tasty big production wines fill the shelves. No, bad wine lists are the work (or lack thereof) of the lazy. Either too lazy to educate themselves or just too uninterested to take the time.

A recent trip reminded me of this as I was served a really terrible 2002 Joliesse California Cabernet Sauvignon on United Airlines. This burnt smelling and raisin flavored wine was their only red wine choice. United loves to show photos of the famous chefs and sommeliers they use to help them select their wines, but I find it hard to believe that such a mediocre wine ever passed the lips of those famous names. What can be the excuse for selecting such a wine out of all the wines possible? Laziness. They think that just because most people pay little attention to the wine going down their throats, that it just isn't worth their time to do any better. Certainly they can get away with it, but along the way you would think you would run into someone with a little pride.

Of course, you have to wonder about the people at Joliesse too. With all the lovely, ripe fruit in California, this is the type of wine that they come up with? No Joilesse, United Airlines and all the others like Trader Joe's have only one excuse for the plonk they peddle.