It is the question discussed over many a bottle of wine at a dinner party…usually when an unsuspecting wine lover is at the table opening a favourite (maybe expensive) drop: is expensive wine and the whole “wine thing” all smoke and mirrors?
Watch what these guys think:
http://www.vox.com/2015/5/20/8625785/expensive-wine-taste-cheap
Watch it? Yep? Now let’s put a few things in perspective:
– Vox staff as the test subjects:
Interesting is they downplayed that they picked out the more expensive wines, they just didn’t prefer it. You would expect that they are also not the customers the winery was aiming at when they made that wine.
In the real world, not everyone is a wine expert or even really cares what wine goes in the glass. For this large part of the population, wineries will typically make nice soft simple wines, softer tannins, a bit of ripe fruit and sugar,,,think pop music and not Mozart.
– Wine Shows:
I have a separate post about the ins and outs of wine shows HERE, but in reality they really do a good job of rewarding good wines and improving the benchmarks in the industry,,,this makes wine better for everyone across the board.
Quality is very good these days making medal scores hard to judge. Just 20 years ago there was a category for acetic acid presence…your wine would get an extra point in a show just for not tasting of vinegar it was that common! What is clear, sub $10 wines rarely receive in gold or silver medals in the main wine shows. In the lesser recognised shows, this may well happen.
My tip is let the industry use the shows as a benchmark system, and don’t see medals on a bottle as the indicator of price.
– Wine Critics Dispute:
the whole basis of the integrity of any professional critic is to have expert knowledge of the subject as well as a clear and consistent opinion of what is good. This doesn’t mean that they will agree.
In the industry it is famous that Robert Parker likes big concentrated wines (think Heavy Metal, Angelina Jolie) while Jancis Robinson prefers classic balanced and subtle wines (think classical music, Keira Knightly). Of course they are not going to agree on what is good.
– Sour Wine Voted better:
Tartaric acid is also known as “wine acid” and is used often in winemaking. 1g/l is not as huge as it sounds, and in a chardonnay might just a make it a little crisper. They would already have 6-9 g/l anyway, so 5g/l might make it a little sour, but 1g/l probably not.
– Prices Influence Perception of Quality
Of course price influences how people judge something. With limited information, we are forced to fall back on simple cues for quality for most pretty much every purchase: brand reputation, packaging, endorsements, personal recommendations and…price.
If we were all experts that wouldn’t be the case, and you wouldn’t be reading this blog post. To be sure, prices are not always right but the more you pay, the more likely it is you will get a better wine. It is not a guarantee, and as with any product whether it is a T-shirt, a car or a wine, there is not a linear relationship of price/quality.
Summary:
This video brings up some interesting points, especially for how people in the wine industry need to communicate their message. Unfortunately, it is by no means proof that all wine lovers are delusional and there is no difference between between wines in different price segments.
I am sure I could do similar report for price variation in cars/fashion/art/computers etc. and come up with a similar result. I am also sure if I did that, there would be people who know more than me about cars/fashion/art/computers etc to write blog posts about how wrong I am.
- WINEDUCATION - 
Wine is a commercial ag product like orange juice. The same “smoke and mirrors” (marketeering) — varietals, regions, etc. could be applied to apples and apple cider. (This fine 2017 Japanese cider is made from the Fuji varietal hand-picked from the Tanaka estate orchids in the Osaka appellation.) But there ain’t no cider going for $100 a bottle and never heard of cider snobs. No “cider sommeliers” holding up jugs to sniff sloshing the cider around in their mouths like foo’z. It’s hooch sans the snobbery.. Wine is also hooch but with airs. It’s all rotten fruit juice. I have never detected the “notes” alleged to be present of various berries, chocolate, honey, etc. in any wine and.(ready?) tannin is unpleasant tasting. I recently bought one the vaunted “three Rs” Zinfandels. It was truly no better than the (shriek!) box Zins I’ve had except it cost 4X as much. This is why — for centuries, wine has been an easy grift with people like Rudy Kurniawan suckering wine marks for millions for years before getting sloppy and getting caught. In modern times downmarket “everything” has improved from watches, to cars, to wine. Even that sub-$10 bottle is good/drinkable only lacking in overrated “complexity” and cachet whereas in years past that price would be indicative of something a 1/2-step above vinegar. Since I don’t hate my money, I’ve taken to box wines — Bota, Big House etc. Modern packaging means they last much longer (no silly 15th century corks or glass bottles that are needlessly expensive, heavy, and fragile). And get a varietal that’s good when it’s fairly young — a Zin (personal fave), a Merlot, or their blends like “Big House Red”.
It’s all a mindset. Ain’t nothing a Rolex or Omega has over a nice Seiko or Orient automatic watch. Ain’t nothing a BMW has over a used Corolla, and ain’t nothing (at least nothin’ worth paying a premium for) that expensive bottle has over a decent box wine. Really. Just because you can afford Veblen goods doesn’t mean you should buy them and engage in such conspicuous consumption silliness. Put that expendable income in a fund — retire earlier. Give it to charity.
And one last thing. Please don’t be a vodka snob? Okay? Wine snobbery I “almost” can get. But vodka? Seriously? It’s not an aged spirit. It’s not affected by growing seasons. It doesn’t matter how many times it’s filtered. It doesn’t matter if it’s pot or column distilled as long as it is distilled, and it all is. Forget their BS “backstory”. It’s all marketeering nonsense. Ain’t nothing that brand in that ridiculous gaudy “look at me” bottle has over the Smirnoff in a plastic bottle. You’re being played.