‘My drinking was, I supposed, capable of being described as a form of mania, but no different from collecting butterflies, or birds’ eggs, or rare books. Perhaps it was a more expensive mania than some, but it was the same passion: to know, to possess, everything that could be known about, or obtained for, one’s collection.’

Wilberforce is about to die because of wine addiction. Alcoholism rendered him powerless against the inevitable alcohol disease, thanks to the irresistible inheritance from Francis Black, a man who lived for wines, who both showed him the wonders of a social life and who inadvertently was responsible for his disease. Before becoming a connoisseur, Wilberforce was a software developer who had unremarkable character, who apart from having an impending millionaire status for being a software genius, hasn’t gained relevance outside of his company. And then he discovers wine. For finally meeting the love of his life, newly-minted wine collector Wilberforce quits his 9-5 job, inherits a vast wine ‘undercroft’, and steals a gorgeous woman from one of the most powerful man in England.

Addiction is an effective character builder. If you’re going to get into something, be as wholeheartedly into it as you can possibly be and be known for it. As Wilberforce’s descent suggests, passions are great for getting out of coma-like situations. Do not care if some passions end up being the instruments of destruction, as it is with Wilberforce and all his stupid wines. It’s so much better to be addicted to something than to remain in a constant state of average likes and dislikes. So much more admirable to profess intense feelings rather than half-assed fondness for things.

As someone who doesn’t have a well of original ideas, I’m often looking for other mouths to say those which I would and should normally not. That said, my CD collecting was, I supposed, capable of being described as a form of mania, but no different from collecting butterflies, or birds’ eggs, or rare books. Perhaps it was a more expensive mania than some but it was the same passion: to know, to possess, everything that could be known about, or obtained for, one’s collection, etc.

Thank you, Robert, for this irresistible book.