Upon predicting the collapse of civilization due to the revolt of the masses, Ortega y Gasset did not take into consideration the factor that inhibited the course of such gatherings to the omnipotent power. The value is not dead within the market (as the exploitation has not disappeared, taking refuge in other forms under cover of democracy).
As long as the value is there, the masses will not become any elite (becoming the elite, they cease to be masses, dissolving into themselves and for themselves). When analyzing the wine and its particular case of tasting, it means the wine coming from the so-called discount store, I face the highly optimistic conclusion: to become a member of an elite, first you have to be rich, and then – thanks to the wealth – to develop your elitist abilities.
It is an illusion that by sipping cheap wine and describing it, we become true connoisseurs, as the wine, and this is entirely objective, has nothing to do with cheapness, and being absolutely an elitist phenomenon, it becomes available only to those who can afford it. Celebrities evaluating wines of Burgundy should have access to them, and the prices here can cause dizziness and shut the cellar way to any aspiring masses. If someone feels sarcasm here, sorry, I do not intend this. It’s so, as it should be and it will be.
A French enologist, Félicien Breton, advises purchasing thirty favourite bottles at once, which already goes beyond the capabilities of ordinary wine drinker in my (and probably not only) country (especially if your favourite wine costs a hundred Euros a bottle), a trip away from my home for tasting, even for a few minutes, needs a full tank of fuel, and so on.