What Does Price Taste Like?

One of the most common questions I receive about wine is whether you can really taste the difference between a $10 bottle of wine and a $100 bottle of wine. In a reply that would make any politician proud, the answer is “It depends.”

Unless you answer to the name of Bill Gates, Donald Trump or Warren Buffett, chances are that you lean much more to the $10/bottle price range for wine than the $100. There are literally thousands of wines to choose from in this price range. Ninety-nine percent of them are well made and easy to drink.

Although you may spend only $8 or even $18 for your bottle of wine, these wines are perfect to have with dinner after a tough day of work. Chances are that as you ease into dinner, the most important thing about your wine is that it tastes good.

You are not worried about wine critics’ ratings, whether the wine has been aged properly, or if it is the perfect match with your Kraft macaroni and cheese. A smooth glass of red or white is just a nice, relaxing part of the day.

As you break the $20/bottle price range, however, things get a bit more complicated. Many of these more expensive wines will improve with some time in the cellar. Matching the complex flavors of these wines with the right food will definitely add to one’s enjoyment of both the food and wine.

It is also likely that the wine can not be easily replaced, so you want to pick a meal where you can actually savor the wine that you have so carefully chosen.

The difference between a $10 bottle and a $100 bottle is complexity. More expensive wines will usually deliver subtleties of taste that do not exist in less expensive wine. However, in terms of enjoyment, beauty is in the eye and the wallet of the beholder.

*Recently tasted and enjoyed: For under $10, the 2 Vines wines of Columbia Crest in Washington state are hard to beat.

In the over $20 price range, the single vineyard and reserve Zinfandels from California’s Rosenblum Winery are terrific.

(Newtown resident and wine enthusiast Steve Small is the general manager at Yankee Wine & Spirits on Queen Street.)