The discussions above have made me ruminate about something. I've often said that even if I disagreed with someone here online, that wouldn't stop me from sitting down with them face to face, and enjoy sharing a bottle of wine. I still believe that. I'd love to sit down with both Napa and TOM someday, though probably not at the same time.
That said, my best friend is a man who loves to entertain. Often times when he invites me over, I discover that I'm only one of many guests at his house that evening. There is a certain "gentleman" that his wife keeps inviting (she's a bit of a social-climber), whom I cannot stand. He is a local, small-time politician who thinks that pearls continually drop from his lips and everything he touches turns to gold. I've never met someone so in love with himself. I've shared wine with him on several occasions over the years, and the funny thing is, he never remembers me. (Not important enough, I guess. Just someone in the crowd.) I never call him out on it, as it would be bad form at a function; but every time, as soon as he realizes that I'm not going along with his BS like the rest of the crowd, you can see the change come into his eyes. They become cold and lizard-like, and he soon finds a reason to leave for another party (and to a more receptive crowd, I assume). That I can't abide sharing wine with this guy, even for a small amount of time, bothers me a little bit, I guess. Feels like a character flaw in me.