It exists: you can have a phobia of wine

On Friday morning, we trickle into the editorial office one by one. That in itself is not so strange. But on Fridays, we have bottles of wine in our bags.

Well yes, after work, just before the weekend, we do enjoy a drink. To toast to the successful work week, the sun and well, whatever else.

But not everyone loves calling out for Chardo or Chenin. Some people actually have a phobia of wine. Really. It can happen. It's officially called ‘oenophobia’ and if you suffer from it, you are afraid of everything related to wine. You just don't really like alcohol and wild parties.

Do you think that's strange? Check out these eight really unusual phobias:

• Chronophobia – fear of time
• Dendrophobia – fear of trees
• Ephebophobia – fear of teenagers
• Geniophobia – fear of chins
• Homichlophobia – fear of fog
• Melanophobia – fear of the color black
• Novercafobia – fear of stepmothers
• Plutophobia – fear of wealth

Look, then the whole not daring to toast at the Friday afternoon drinks isn't so bad, right? Because yes, with wine also inevitably comes hangovers, and we do understand that not everyone is jumping for joy at the thought of pounding headaches or hours of nausea. So that oenophobia – well, let's go with it. But being afraid of being rich...? Explain that one to us again.