What's so interesting about wine?

A few days ago my wife asked me why I find wine so interesting. I stammered a bit as I tried to form vague feelings and notions into words. Wine tastes good of course, but my interest is deeper than that. Wine is also culture, business, and history. It’s like social studies plus drinking and food. The WaPost’s Ellen McCarthy puts it thusly:

The pursuit of good wine is part culture, part science, part geography, all in a framework of merriment and indulgence.

Well put Ellen. Her account of everyday Washingtonians enjoying wine is here. I was surprised to learn that DC residents consume more wine and champagne per capita than residents of any other US city.