Wines and prices?

Question

Many times you buy an expensive bottle of wine thinking its going to be better than a cheaper one.
I have been dissapointed many times and i find that many moderately priced wines are better than the expensive ones.
Why?

Answer 1

Because contrary to what WineSpectator tells us, wine taste is subjective. Just because a bottle costs $70, it doesn't mean you will ike it any better than a $10 bottle of Penfold's.

The best bet is to continue experimenting. I have tasted $9 wines I would rave about and $200 bottles I wouldn't make vinegar with... At the same time though, the best bottle I've ever tasted was about $160.

Go to wine tastings and sample. Talk to people in wine shops. Have them recommend less expensive wines. When you find a person who turns you on to what you like, ask them about more expensive ones.

Answer 2

Just as there are times I would rather drink a 60 cent bottle of MGD rather than a $5 Belgian ale, so it goes for wine.

There is a mantra that goes "... don't pay more than $10 for a wine you are just wasting your money ..." I don't agree.

You need to be specific about what your experiences have been.

Clearly a chardonnay aged in an oak barrel will cost more and will have different characteristics than one merely processed in a stainless steel tank. You might not like the "oaky" characteristics that process adds. It can be a matter of taste!

An expensive cabernet may have bigger fuller tanins so that the wine has a better balance when it ages for 6, 8, even 20 years, but if you drink it young, as soon as it is released (about 3 years), the wine will seem out of balance almost astringent (proper decanting helps this problem).

These are just 2 general examples. I also assume you are not trying to compare a wine bought from a shop with one in a restaurant since the typical restaurant charges triple the retail price.

Personnally, I can't remember the last time I had a $10 wine I enjoyed. When my friends serve them I smile politely, choke down a little and switch to water or soda.

My cellar has completely wonderful wines for as little as $18-20 a bottle. Depending on my guests, the food served, and the occasion these wines may actually be more appropriate than a more expensive option which for me is $60-90. In general I find that few wines below about $40 reach the full potential of what an expert can do with a grape. However I prefer a $28 bottle of Schramsberg Blanc de Noir to a $128 of Dom Perignon 10 times out of 10!

As with anything you have to know if you are buying label, reputation, marketing buzz, chasing scarcity, value, etc... A Ferrari might be a cool car, but not for taking the kids to school, not for shopping, not when it spends half its time at the mechanic, not when you pay the mechanic, or fill it with gas, etc... Sometimes an expensive wine is just that expensive.

My best advice is this: As an individual it is very hard to buy by label, blurb, or review. You either need to be able to taste a wine before you buy, or have a knowledgeable person you trust as your guide. In that regard I am lucky to have a broker that does that for me.

It is like the funny cell phone ad with Joan Cusack for US Cellular where she asks people on the street which cell phone looks like it has a great network, feels like it has a great network, smells like it has a great network, etc... because you have to HEAR the network!

Answer 3

Wineries will price their wines at a price they think it will sell at. Some wineries with great reputations are able to charge more than wineries that are less known.

The quality of a wine is subjective and is not related to the price. You can find often wine that is cheaper than other wines that you like better. Even people who rate wines will have lesser expensive wines rated higher sometimes.

Often when a wine is rated highly, the wine maker will up the price because it is now in demand. I know of a wine that tripled in price after receiving a score of 92 from a well known wine rating publication.

I do, however, feel that cheaper wines in general are not as good as more expensive wines. The more expensive are usually more complex with more effort going into making a quality wine.

Answer 4

Most people will tell you that it's a matter of taste, because that's the politiclly correct answer. It's a wonderful way to say drink whatever you like and if you like it, then it's right. Who wouldn't want license to have free run of their impulses combined with confirmation of their appropriateness?

While your subjective sense of taste does play a role, developing a palate for wine, (just like some foods) is just as important. A neophyte is not going to appreciate the $200 of Bordeaux. As you taste more and more wines, varying the style and quality, you will increase your palate's ability to detect differences in them, particularly quality.

Of course there are overpriced wines out there, and some jewels that are underpriced, but by and large there is a difference between inexpensive everyday wines and the preeminent.

Chef Mark

Answer 5

I know what you mean, but I have had a few expensive ($30-$110) bottles and thought they were some of the best. It's really all a matter of taste. Also many expensive wines are aged which changes their composition, maybe not to you liking.