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Although I did not partake in today's wine tasting, I found Wil's presentation and quality of material very engaging and interesting.  I had no idea that so much science (weather patterns, geographic location, acidity and chemical levels) went into the art of making and enjoying fine wine, and I can no longer say that this activity is only limited to those with money at their fingertips and a "special" sense of smell or taste.  The opening background reading was informative and personally relevant because it integrated my interest, psychology, into the wine tasting process.  The article's mention of unconscious processes becoming conscious when problem solving is involved reminded me of central processing, something I learned about in introductory psychology this past year.  For example, take somebody who is looking to buy a car and sees a car commercial on television.  Since the idea of buying a car is highly relevant to them they will be judging the commercial based on its argument and the authority of the person in it (more "serious" characteristics that one would think would lead to a good, informed decision about the quality of the car).  Now take somebody who sees the same car commercial, but is not actively looking to buy a car.  Since the commercial does not represent something important to them, they will engage in peripheral processing in which they make a judgement based on things like whether or not the car is aesthetically-pleasing or endorsed by a celebrity.

In the context of education, this is important because it bolsters the idea that students will pay more attention (and thus learn/remember the material better) if they find the topic relevant or personally interesting.  To help carry this out in the classroom, things like hands-on activities or self-designed experiments might be helpful because it would allow students to explore in their own way and take on the material individually.