So you’re at the grocery store, perusing the shelves for a decent bottle of wine. You’re in the mood for something red, maybe a Cabernet. As you scan the Cab section, you notice there are at least a couple dozen options, ranging in price from $4.99 a bottle to $69. Aside from $64.01, what’s the difference between the bargain basement Cab and the top-of-the-line model? Does a wine’s quality always increase in direct proportion to its price?
Not exactly. While quality does play an important role in wine pricing, there are lots of other factors involved. Such as:
* Origin of the grapes. If they were grown in a special vineyard that adds prestige to the wine (normally labeled “single vineyard”), the price will rise.
* Production. Is the wine made in a rustic cellar or in a costly state-of-the-art facility? Does the aging take place in pricey French oak barrels or less expensive American oak?
* Rarity of the wine. The harder it is to find, the more valuable it may become.
* Demand. It’s economics: the more coveted the wine, the more the winery can charge. This is probably the most crucial factor in the pricing game.
* The competition. Wineries often set their prices according to what their competitors are charging for similar products. This can help elevate consumers’ perception of the wine’s quality.
* Vintage quality. If a wine region has a stellar growing season that results in better quality grapes, they may raise prices for that year. But the opposite is also true.
Here’s how Tom Shelton, president of Joseph Phelps Vineyards, uses these factors in the pricing process: “I start with an assumption of high quality from a vineyard and winemaking point of view,” Shelton explains. “Then I consider previous prices and our position in the market compared to benchmark competitors.”
The final test comes when he tastes the wine with Phelps’ winemakers to determine how it stacks up against previous vintages. Factor in the demand for Phelps wines, and voila
Putting Pricing to the Test
Does a pricey wine always taste better than a cheap one? To find the answer, I subjected a crew of wine guzzlers to a little experiment. We tasted four different 1999 Cabernet Sauvignons, ranging in price from $11.99 to $45. With the bottles safely obscured inside brown paper bags, we sampled the wines and privately ranked them according to our favorites.
Amazingly, we all ranked the wines in exactly the same order. When we took the bottles out of their paper bags, we found that the priciest wine was not the best. Our collective favorite was the Sterling Cab, which sells for $25. After that came the Estancia ($12), Dunham Cellars ($45), and finally, Hogue Cellars ($10).
The lesson we learned? While price may reflect a wine’s quality, it’s no guarantee of good taste. The cheapest bottle on the shelf may very well be the one that tastes best to you, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The joke is on the suckers who won’t condescend to drink anything that costs less than $50 a bottle.
Sterling Vineyards 1999 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Spicy cigar box aromas and juicy berry flavors. Medium-bodied, with balanced tannins. $25 **** 1/2
Estancia 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon
Fruity blackberry/currant aroma and concentrated jammy flavors. Smooth and tasty. $12 ****
Dunham Cellars 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon
Sportin’ some blackberry and raisin aromas and flavors. Smooth tannins make it easy to drink, but it’s real pricey. $45 ***
Hogue Cellars 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon
Raw, scratchy tannins overwhelm the fruit in this bottle. Could improve with age, but right now, run. $10 **
Comments? Questions? Great wine experience to share? Talk to us! We’ll feature your comments in our Mailbag. E-mail corkscrew@creativeloafing.com, mail to Corkscrew, 1310 E. Ninth Ave., Tampa, FL 33605 or call 1-800-341-LOAF.
THE WINE LIST
BRUNCH & WINE TASTING with Todd Williams, owner of Toad Hollow Vineyards, will be held Apr 21, 2-4pm, at Morrison House, corner of 10th & Poplar Streets in 4th Ward. Cost is $65/person or $120/couple. RSVP to Trish Ellington, 704-541-0612.
CAROLINA WINE CLUB Morning classes run from 10-11:30am. Evening classes run from 6:30-8pm. All classes are held at the Mint Museum of Craft + Design. Upcoming: April 23, Old World Red Wines vs. New World Reds; April 30, Quality and Terroir in Red Wines. Cost is $100 for any four sessions or $30 per individual session. For more info or reservations call 704-344-8027.
CHARLOTTE WINE & FOOD WEEKEND benefiting Hospitality House of Charlotte and the Charlotte Symphony is set for April 18-20. The weekend includes vintner dinners, numerous tastings, a Napa-style barbecue, a silent auction and a live auction and gala. Costs vary depending on which events you wish to attend. Reservations for any of the events can be made online at www.charlottewineandfood.com or by calling 704-552-9780.
FUZION BISTRO located in Shops on the Green in Cornelius hosts wine tasting sessions the last Wednesday of every month from 7-8pm with a different speaker each Wednesday. Light fare will be served along with the 4 sample wines to be tasted. $20 per person. For more information call 704-895-6656.
TONIC 1427 E. 4th St. has free wine tastings every Wednesday. The evening begins at 8:30pm and runs till 2am. Entry and tastes are free. For more information, call 704-347-2582 after 8pm or visit www.withtonic.com.
THE WINE GALLERY 8020 Providence Road, offers wine tastings every Thursday, 6:30-8:30pm. Cost is $5 per person. Call 704-544-2455.
THE WINE SHOP 2442 Park Road, Park Square Shopping Center. Next in store tasting will be April 25, 7-9pm. Spanish wines will be featured. Cost is $10/person. Call for reservations, 704-377-5373.
WINE TASTINGS AT REID’S 7TH ST. WINE SHOP Every Wednesday night at the Wine Bar from 5:30-7:30pm, very informal. Three wines will be tasted each week. Cost is $10 per person. Call 704-513-7014.
YADKIN VALLEY WINE FESTIVAL will be held May 18, 11am to 6pm, in Elkin Municipal Park, 399 Hwy 268 West, Elkin NC. Wines from local growers will be featured for tasting plus there’ll be music, food and more. For more info call 336-526-1111 or visit the website at www.ejachamber.com.
Wine tastings, classes, or other wine-related events will be listed at the discretion of the editors. Send information to Creative Loafing one of three ways: Fax to 704-944-3605; email to molly.mckinney@cln.com; or by regular mail at 6112 Old Pineville Rd. Charlotte, NC 28217. All events must be received at least two weeks in advance.
This article appears in Apr 17-23, 2002.
