I just started helping out at a local wine shop for the holiday season, and rediscovered the fact that the wine world is MUCH larger than the one I've been living in.  The last time I worked in a wine retail environment was nearly a decade ago.  Back then, I knew my wine preferences, but was open-minded enough to try just about anything.  It seems that somewhere along the way I developed a major bias against lots of regions and varieties - to the point that I had stopped paying attention to those categories altogether.  As a consumer, that's certainly appropriate... but as a wine professional, I have an obligation to know and understand all wine in context, and to recognize that there are other palates out there who not only like this stuff - but need help sorting through the oceans of wines they don't want to drink in order to find it.

So I've resolved to taste more wines that I wouldn't seek out to drink myself and to learn more about the producers who make them in an effort to be a better wine professional for those I serve.