Brewnotes

At what price point does a bottle of wine leave you thinking “Is this really worth it?”  This article on MSNBC is fascinating.   “Napa Valley is facing the worst wine downturn since the early 1980s. Premium wines priced between $50 and $125 were "a dead zone" in 2009”    Not only are the values of the finished product going down but so are the costs of the raw materials.   “Grapes he would have paid $5,000 a ton for in 2008 cost him only $1,000 in 2009”

I know many wine collectors and connoisseurs alike that claim they can taste the difference in a ~ $100 bottle but I’d say that most would fail a blind taste test if it was put together correctly. 

Mitchell Pressman, owner of Chesapeake Wine Company in Baltimore’s Canton neighborhood, describes this very situation.   “The folks at Black Ankle Vineyards (Mt. Airy, Maryland) invited me to a blind tasting on Sunday. The theme was "Crumbling Rock ‘07 vs, The World" – at which they pitted their Bordeaux blend against similarly priced Bordeaux blends from France, California and South Africa. It is the third such event they have staged and it speaks volumes about their goals and aspirations. Oh, by the way, their Crumbling Rock ‘07? It won, with 18 out of 30 first place votes (runner-up wine received 8 first place votes)!”

Moral of this story – There are plenty of really nice bottles to be had in the $20-40 range.   Branch out and be a little more adventurous.  

Related posts:

1. Wine Truths
2. Do Wine Critics Really Help You Select a Bottle?
3. Maryland Wine Bill Update
4. 2010 Maryland Wine Bill is Dead
5. It’s Dead Now (MD Wine Shipping)

Ben Brouse Food & Drink, Wine