[Opinion] What defines "quality"?

[Nagaram]

Recently, I was at the liquor store looking for wines, when a woman with an interesting accent came in and was asking the floor sales people for recommendations on "quality red wine for cheap" because she was making a lot of elixirs.

I, though sympathetic, offered no assistance despite being fairly versed in my opinions on red wine because, I don't really know what "quality" red wine means for our uses.

My favorite wines are cheap sweet wines. I have no real interest in becoming a sommelier or even in just "getting into" wines because I'm more of a beer person. But to me a "quality" wine is an archaic word. It probably means something that is pure grape liquor or as close to it as possible. Wine without additives or extra water to dilute it or even to mask a bad batch of vinegary wine. I am considering that throughout human history, the easier wine to get would be this tier of commoner slop.

Though, I could see an argument made that, for magickal purposes, wine that has had more intent and attention poured into it is better than the new tier of commoner slop that is my $5 wines.

So, I guess the question is, what is the threshold of "quality" with which we do magick? Can this be applied to all reagents in ritual? What do you think?

 

[unholyReverie]

So, I guess the question is, what is the threshold of "quality" with which we do magick? Can this be applied to all reagents in ritual? What do you think?

I guess I can see "quality" having a few possible senses here.

First, if a person is crafting an "elixir", I would guess the concern could be one or more of the following: wanting pure ingredients (no fillers, as you yourself alluded to, which might or might not have any physical or non-physical impact), wanting something that will taste good, and wanting something that will last when mixed and rebottled. As "not a wine person", you may not realize, but most wine you find on the shelf is not meant to be further aged. I do not remember the chemistry / botony behind it, but only the highest tiers of wine, and mostly red wines (whites do not hold up as well), can be cellared for extended periods of time while retaining or even improving their flavor.

On the other hand, if a person where using a wine as part of an offering, one might be attending to quality in the interest of showing proper respect. Even if you find $5 wines tasty, you still probably would not make a gift of one, unless you were truly destitute. Part of an offering is the significance and sacrifice entailed in offering, not simply the substance of what it is.