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Thinking While Drinking
Posted by White's Wines | Posted on 04-30-2013
| Posted inAs regular readers know, I write a free, twice monthly wine column that’s distributed to newspapers across the country.
These columns are hosted by Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine. If you don’t see my column in your local newspaper, please send an email to your paper’s editor and CC me (David – at – Terroirist.com).
My latest column, in which I explain how wine enthusiasts approach wine, went out this morning.
“Is a bottle of wine ever really worth $100?”
This is a question I’m regularly asked by friends who aren’t obsessed with wine. My answer is always the same.
“Of course,” I begin. “For starters, there’s supply and demand — bottles sell for what the market says they’re worth.”
“But to your real question,” I continue, “no one is dropping that sort of money simply because a wine tastes so good. On those special occasions when you splurge — whether for a $25 bottle, a $50 bottle, or even something that costs $100 or more — you’re hoping for something beyond deliciousness. You’re hoping for a wine that makes you think.”
Regardless of a wine’s price tag, this answer helps explain how wine enthusiasts approach wine. Those of us who obsess over what we drink aren’t just looking for something tasty; we’re looking for an experience. Whether a bottle costs $15 or $150, we’re hoping for something great. And a great wine makes you think.
This concept was made clearer last month while listening to Abe Schoener, an iconoclastic California winemaker, deliver a lecture in Washington, DC.
Check out the rest of the piece on Palate Press: The Online Wine Magazine.