In today’s economy, the idea of spending $30 for a bottle of wine seems like a lot, let alone spending upwards of hundreds of dollars for a single bottle. So, why pay more? And what determines the cost of a wine?
A close friend asked me this question this week, and I feel that this is something that we all struggle with, so this month I am going to break down what makes a “cheap” wine, what makes one expensive and how to find the best wine for your money.
Harvesting
First, we need to look at how wine is made. Harvesting techniques, tools and time all play a part in the wine’s cost. For instance, Winemaker A has a large production facility and many acres of vines, so they use a mechanical harvester to pick their grapes, which collects them quickly, but possibly damages grapes in the process. Winemaker B has a small acreage of vines and uses laborers to hand pick the grapes at night while the grapes are cool. Since Winemaker B spent more time and money handpicking the grapes, usually resulting in a better product, their wines are going to cost more. Just like with food, machines can yield a product quickly and efficiently, and at an affordable cost to the consumer. When time and personal attention is applied to production, however, the result is high quality, and at a higher cost.
Vintage
The vintage of a wine is the year that the grapes were harvested, and is also the year that is listed on the bottle. A wine’s vintage can affect the price in two ways. First, if the winemaking region is having a particularly difficult vintage because of storms or other natural disturbances, the winemakers may have to spend more on labor to sort through the grapes that are damaged, and this may also result in a lower yield. I must note as well that this does not mean the overall quality of the wine has gone down, but that the winemakers had to work harder than usual to produce it. Conversely, a winemaking region may be having a better than average year, causing ratings and prices to go up.
Aging and Oak
After fermentation, a winemaker may choose to age a wine. This choice alone may affect the cost of a wine, simply because of the time spent aging in the appropriate environment. Then there’s also the aging vessel. A wine can be aged in steel tanks, concrete eggs or oak barrels, the most common choice. Oak barrels are very expensive, especially when purchased new. New barrels impart the most flavor, such as vanilla, cinnamon, caramel and smoke, to a wine, which is why a winemaker might make the choice to age in new barrels. Higher-end Cabernets from Napa are a great example of the benefits of using new oak, taming the ripe and juicy California fruit.
All of this information won’t be readily available on the label of the bottle, so here are a few of my personal tricks when deciding what’s going to be the best wine for what I’m willing to spend.
Regions
Certain regions are producing fantastic wines, but have yet to catch on in popularity so their prices are remaining low. My personal favorite are wines from Portugal, which are popular because of its Port production, but their table wines have been a staple in Portugal for a while and are making their way across the water. More and more, they are being found in the States. I have yet to have a Portuguese wine I haven’t liked!
Lesser Known Brands
I find that when searching for value, people tend to stick with the brands they know best or have heard of many times before. These brands are usually a part of larger companies, which have larger marketing budgets, and most likely aren’t spending a lot of time or energy on their lower end products. If you’re shooting for a lower price point, going for an unknown label may give you the best quality for your dollar. QCBN
By Valerye Jeffries
For more tips, tricks or wine buying advice, visit the Raven Cafe in downtown Prescott.
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