I am in the same situation, so permit me to explain from the ethical perspective. I am bombarded by meat messaging every day, all day long, everywhere I go, including on my television. This is genuinely depressing. My husband does not have to eat my way when eating out, though it would be nice if he would (instead, he eats double meat on everything, as if he's trying to cancel out my contribution). But our home is lacto-ovo vegetarian due to a religious vow I made 24 years ago, which he hates, but tolerates (he knew about it when we dated, but thought he could convert me back somehow). Trying to have just one place in the world where you don't have to see/smell meat cooking and being eaten is so very hard, because all of his friends and family have asked him and me the same question, over and over again, "Since it's his house too, why do you not let him bring meat in for himself? He could use a second set of dishes, etc.." My answer? Because he has the entire world in which to eat meat, while I only have my home to guarantee me a small amount of peace away from the disgusting treatment and death of animals capable of feeling pain, who have their own wishes with regard to their own lives, and he would not respect "my" dishes versus his if he wanted to cook something. After he dies, my next husband WILL be a vegetarian or vegan, or I will die alone, because living in a mixed relationship sans real respect for the other's view is not healthy for either person.

I prefer the MS brand of breaded faux chicken for its taste and texture, though Qorn's faux turkey loaf is a hit this time of year. We really love the LightLife chorizo, which fries up very well. MS used to make a sausage crumble that was great for Italian dishes, but we can't find it in Knoxville any more. We switched from MS burger crumbles to Yves, because those simply cook and taste better in the final applications, even something as silly as sloppy joes. The closest faux meats we've found are the MS Grillers Prime burger (though I prefer their original), and their breakfast sausage patties (the links are a little strange). And I second the LomaLinda/Worthington *canned* hot dog recommendation, especially when grilled or cooked over wood.

I have not seen anyone mention that, though McDonald's tried a test-marketed burger, they didn't bother to remove the animal products from THEIR FRIES and BUNS. There was a stink a few years ago when vegans sued over the beef flavouring used on their fries during the pre-cooking process. It's still there, which is why I don't eat their fries, nor their morning hash-browns (which have the same shit). Morning biscuits and croissants at McDs and BK are both fine (for lacto-ovos). The bun BK uses for their veggie burger is vegetarian, but the one they use for their whopper has lard. The cooking oil at Wendy's has tallow in it, and their pouches of salad dressings ALL have gelatin in them. See, that's the problem, not just the marketing or profits, or seeing that we do not dine alone (i.e., sans meat-eaters). The problem is just understanding what is and isn't acceptable to us. And when they *do* cater to us, they apparently do not seek our input first, during, or after. It's not like we have never written to them to complain, so that means they know on various levels of their management, but they do not care enough to bother with us.

Everything has fashions it follows, including the wine community (and people like me, who just want to learn more). After checking out the expert opinions already given, my two cents is simply that individual taste genetics varies enough to make it such that there may well be some tastes that you notice, or notice more, that others either do not taste at all, or taste as a fit-in with something else that perhaps they taste that you do not. I would just advise, if you do not like it, just stop worrying about it as its hype is a creation of momentary fashion, and become a greater expert in what you *do* like. I have nowhere near the experience of most people here, I am sure, but I know enough to know that I prefer a decent Cabernet over most Pinot noirs. Heck, some of my home brewing experiments done with other fruit juices (like black cherry, or blueberry) are better than some bottled Pinots. (Well, better to me.) Some vintners try to overcome some of the issues you mentioned by blending into their inferior Pinots tad bits of other wines. <shrug> Eh. Purists will scoff, drunks will swallow anything, and the rest of us will either help prove or disprove a particular wine's worth with our wallets.