Company Blog

The Cost of a Closed Mind

by Adam Zack — February 18, 2026

“…open-mindedness isn’t a label—it’s a practice.”

It all sounds so simple. You’re either open-minded or closed-minded. Open-minded people welcome change, invite new ideas, and don’t take criticism personally. They empower others, aren’t threatened by success around them, and tend to lead without ego. Closed-minded people, of course, live on the other side of that line. In theory, it feels like a choice—decide to be open-minded and move on.

In practice, it’s rarely that clean. Closed-mindedness doesn’t usually come from stubbornness; it comes from experience. From past encounters that convince us we already know the outcome before we’ve even evaluated what’s in front of us. After more than 30 years immersed in wine as both a job and a hobby, what began as knowledge quietly hardened into bias. I had decided—confidently—that certain regions simply didn’t produce good wine. Southern California and Baja, Mexico topped that list. I’d tasted enough to “know,” or so I told myself.

Then a friend visited with two bottles: a Russian River Pinot Noir and a red blend from Los Angeles. The Pinot was opened first and was, predictably, excellent. The Los Angeles wine sat untouched, mentally reserved for an undiscerning guest or a polite re-gift. When I finally opened it, fully expecting disappointment, I was stopped cold. It was balanced, expressive, and genuinely good. My mind had been made up long before the cork was pulled, and I nearly missed something special. It was a reminder that open-mindedness isn’t a label—it’s a practice. And sometimes the most important lesson comes not from what’s in the glass, but from being willing to taste it at all.