When my fellow diners asked me what I thought about this transformation, I replied that we would be wise to focus on our behavior as opposed to our new technology.
Not only did this transformation put American wines on par with the finest French, something previously thought completely impossible, it paved the way for the emergence of the New World wines many of us enjoy today.
There is an older book, 'Battling the Inner Dummy, ' that offers an interesting concept -- 'controlled trauma to induce transformation' and offers this illustration: 'Boot camp ... can be thought of as an example of controlled trauma that is designed to foster traits like loyalty and obedience.