Cyn Collins's blog

Dear Cyn,

I'm a guy who enjoys white wine...but I always feel a little self-conscious ordering it in public. I think it looks kind of girly, plus I know that wine connoisseurs generally prefer red wine. If you were on a date with a guy and he ordered white wine, would you judge him?

-Mark

Dear Mark,

I, a red wine drinker myself, actually happen to think people who drink white wine in public look/seem classy. I see a white wine drinker, and I think things like...does he like classical or jazz music? Obscure literature and 1930s films? That sort of thing.

I'd see him as someone who stands out by clearly making a personal preference choice and not going with the herd of blind red wine drinkers. At the very least, it's someone who likes to explore new tastes—there are a lot of great white wines out there. Regarding whether it looks girly: Does Richard Gere seem girly? I don't think so! (Maybe I would think that about Tom Cruise...but that's regardless of what he drinks.)

The man who dares to drink white wine in public indicates to me he is so confident and comfortable in his maleness that he doesn't care what people think. For men, drinking white wine is the new wearing pink. Also, one thing you can say for white wine when you're uncomfortable about drinking it is that it's good for your lungs, much like red wine is good for the heart, according to a 2002 U of Buffalo study. You could take this even further and say you have lung issues you're working on, and you may achieve understanding and even admiration for your white wine penchant—well, as long as your date doesn't think you're awkwardly fishing for some mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Just think, you can not only impress, but also be useful to girls on dates when they spill red wine on their beautiful dress, and you save the dress by sacrificing your white wine to saturate the spots and magically remove them. Works every time. So keep drinking the Montrachet and the nice Riesling—just don't go with the Pinot Grigio.

Keep it cool,
CynMORE »

Dear Cyn,

About a week ago, I accidentally called a wrong number; the confusion was quickly cleared up, and I hung up after a brief exchange. But then, a few minutes later, the guy at the wrong number called me back and told me what a beautiful voice I have. I was taken aback and almost hung up on him right away, but somehow we struck up a conversation and I ended up laughing. He called me a couple of days later, and this time suggested we meet for a drink. I haven't agreed yet. My friends tell me this sounds super-creepy, but I've been single for a while and I'm ready to give it a shot. What say you?MORE »

-Rosie