Does a $10,000 Bottle of Wine Taste Like $10,000? by Mark Oldman in Drinks, January 25th, 2012
When you write about wine, you sometimes get to taste the really expensive stuff. I’m not talking filet mignon or even white-truffle expensive. I’m talking splurging like Diddy-in-a-diamond-hoodie-on-a-yacht expensive.
When a collector shares one of these bottles with me, friends later ask, “Does it taste like [insert obscenely expensive price]?”
The honest answer: It doesn’t, at least not to the untrained palate, and probably not even to most trained palates.
The lesson here is that while the price is often reflective of a wine’s quality, it is so only up to a point. And even when a wine is of high quality — from the best grapes handled by the most talented hands — it doesn’t mean that you are going to automatically taste its full price. In fact, some of the most-prized bottles can evoke qualities — think soy sauce or pencil lead or even a barnyard in August — that are off-putting to the uninitiated.
So next time you’re thinking of ordering that $50 bottle instead of one that is $30, or when you’re embarrassed about ordering the least expensive bottle, consider these non-quality factors that play into a wine’s price:
- Scarcity: When wine is expensive — and especially as costly as the bottle described above — you’re also paying for the privilege of being one of the lucky souls who can lay their lips on it. It’s simple supply and demand.
- Marketing: Some higher-priced wines, including most top-tier Champagnes are no different than Prada loafers or Gucci handbags: They are luxury goods with expensive marketing budgets (glossy ads and beach umbrellas) that are built into the price of each bottle.
- Pricing: Some wines are priced more expensively to make people value them more. A few years ago Stanford Business School did a fascinating study in which subjects registered more pleasure in their brains when they were told a wine was more costly, even when it wasn’t. The power of pricing is powerful indeed.
Every week, Mark Oldman — wine expert, acclaimed author and lead judge of the series The Winemakers — shares with readers the basics of wine, while making it fun and practical. In the coming weeks, he’ll tell you what to ask at a wine store, at what temperature to serve it and share his must-have wine tools.
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Tags: mark oldman, outsmarting wine, wine
you pay for what you get yes it does make a difference in how much you spend
Please elaborate so I can give the opposite view some consideration too.
my husband and i are new the wine world. Our favorite flavors are fruity, sweet and carbonated. So far, we love "Yellow Tail – Mascoto" What else would you recommend us trying?
The best wine I've ever tasted was a $6 bottle. Price is NOT everything, and those who think otherwise are the reason there exist $10k bottles of wine. Proof that there IS a sucker born every minute.
for a rich red, we love "14 Hands" cabernet….for a not heavily oaked white, we like Rodney Strong Char.
Val de Vieso's malbec is really good for under ten bucks.
I agree on the low cost is sometimes tastier. I prefer Vendange white merlot. Average 8.00 a bottle can drink it everyday without going broke or hungover. Lol
We've tasted some remarkably delicious wine that only cost $3 — and some remarkably horrible wine for the same price. :) You just never know until you try.
I love the Yellowtail Shiraz and Knarly Head Old Vine Zifandel. Great prices and great tasting.
One of my absolute favorite charonnay is Toad Hollow. It so good! Its great for cooking and drinking. Fruity but not too dry or sweet.