Wine nerds: Can't taste difference between $10 and $25

[Anonymous]

Educate me.

So I thought I'd splurge and picked up a couple bottles of red wines in the $20-$25 range.
Must be more twice as good as the $10 ones, right?

Ha. Can't taste a lick of difference. WTF am I doing wrong? Just picking wrong?
What should I be doing to taste this bang for my buck?
Any advice? Or bottle recommendations?

FWIW, I've watched Sideways a billion times for inspiration, but it doesn't seem to help.

[Anonymous]

I am with you OP. My husband is a wine collector and spends mega bucks on these things. I am fine with a $10 Rosemount and can't tell the difference in many of his that are upwards of $50. Some are obviously better, but many not at all.

[Anonymous]

The problem with wine buying is there are just too many choices, and even in the $20-25 too much plonk, especially if you are just purchasing a $20 version of what you drink at $10 (insert your preferred $10 wine here) where you are not likely to see a difference. But many people like the lower end (my wife is one) and will be disappointed when they move up. If you want to see what you can get, you need to try something where $25 can get you a good deal -- these days that tends to be French, Italian or Spanish reds, and if you want a big red wine, try an Old Vines Granache from Spain, where you should be able to get something quite nice, and bold, in that price range. If you prefer something more subtle, try an Italian Dolcetto where $20 should get you a good example of one, the French to me are trickier. If you spend $20 for a California Cab, you are going to get something only marginally better than $10 and I think the same is true of Pinot Noirs, though you can find some decent ones in that price range from Oregon. What you really need is a good wine store, or a good wine seller, and they are very hard to find (none in Bethesda as far as I can tell and many of those stores are just filled by some distributor). When we lived on Capitol Hill, Paul at Schneider's was a marvel at picking something unusual and good in your price range -- all you had to do is tell him what you were cooking or what you liked. My current favorite is Paul's on Wisconsin Ave., where some of them are knowledgeable and they are probably the nicest group of guys around with a good and interesting wine selection. That is a store where a random pick up at $20 will get you a decent wine, compared to the Bethesda stores where a $20 wine is likely to sell for $10 in the District. I think the best current store in this area is in Cleveland Park, Weygandt's. Their prices are a bit high because they cater to French wine enthusiasts but the staff is knowledgeable and nice, and just about everything there will be a bit better than elsewhere for the price. But if you go it alone, it is a crap shoot, a fun one to be sure, but definitely a crap shoot.

[Anonymous]

Price has nothing to do with quality up to $50. You can get a great 10$ bottle. Now so you know I have some 15 year old bottles that cost $100 and are now worth $300, they are life expperiences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Price has nothing to do with quality up to $50. You can get a great 10$ bottle. Now so you know I have some 15 year old bottles that cost $100 and are now worth $300, they are life expperiences.

I find this somewhat confusing... b/c then why would ppl buy a $30-$40 bottle, when they can get something just as good for $10.

I guess this is something that makes wine, difficult for newcomers to get into.
Its hard to understand, as well as expensive.

[Anonymous]

The key is finding a good wine store with someone to help guide you through the process. Personally I find it hard to care too much, but in general one of the PPs was right that there is little difference unless you start getting to the $50-$100 range.

Couple of good rules - older isn't always better, unless you're talking about quality dark reds. General table-wine in the $10-$15 range is pretty similar. There are occasional "steals" in the $25 range, but they are few and far between - examples are typically newer Cabernets that could stand another year of aging. If you want to enjoy fine wine, taste a couple of higher-end Bordeaux varieties. I found that Saint Emilion was a good value for my tastes.

But finding a wine store is a good start - people who like wine love to talk about it and can make some suggestions.

[Anonymous]

Remember, in the end, YOU like what YOU like. I would probably focus on food pairings, rather than trying to determine a fancy wine, because for the 99.99% us who are not master sommeliers, many wines in the $10-$20 range will be good or bad depending on what we are eating with the wine, rather than on the wine itself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Remember, in the end, YOU like what YOU like. I would probably focus on food pairings, rather than trying to determine a fancy wine, because for the 99.99% us who are not master sommeliers, many wines in the $10-$20 range will be good or bad depending on what we are eating with the wine, rather than on the wine itself.

This is a good point. I saw an article a while back by a guy who got a master sommelier to teach him wine appreciation and it turned out that most of the difference turned on how to match wine and food. If all you want at the end of the day is a glass of wine by itself, you do as well if not better with cheap stuff.

On the other hand, there are a lot of rumbles lately that more expensive wine isn't that much different. Like this article-- http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/frontal-cortex/2012/06/wine-taste.html

[Anonymous]

You're not going to taste the difference between $10 and $25, you are going to taste the difference between wines you like and wines you don't. I couldn't swallow one gulp of a Bordeaux Grand Cru Classe we tried at a chateaux in St. Emilion, but I do enjoy my $15 spanish Albarin'os or Louire sauvignon blancs.

First, find the category of wines you like. Identify this category as precisely as possible by grape, country of origin, and taste attributes (tanins, acidity, fruit, body, etc). Then go to a wine store and find the best deal on a wine that has those characteristics. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Price has nothing to do with quality up to $50. You can get a great 10$ bottle. Now so you know I have some 15 year old bottles that cost $100 and are now worth $300, they are life expperiences.

This is very true. Quality varies at every price. Pick up Wine Spectator's top 100 list and try some from there in the cheaper range and you'll notice a difference. But you can also get great wine for $10 - do some research on wine "best buys" or talk to people at a good wine store.

[Anonymous]

Highly recommend Schneiders on Capitol Hill, AND there is parking.

[Anonymous]

Agree with the PPs. You may get a slight discount for a certain bottle compared to other stores at Total Wine, but there's no guarantee that the bottle itself is a good one for its price. I would go to a good wine shop such as Calvert Woodly and ask for recommendations for your price range and style preference.

[Anonymous]

I've had a $100 bottle (current price) and a $700 (the going rate for that particular one then) at the same dinner and the $100 was much better (Silver Oak, I think). The $700 had been stored properly for years, forget what it was, but the hosts had bought it over a decade ago for under $75. At least you could make a profit if you decide to sell!

[Anonymous]

I also like Calvert and Woodley. They often have some good deals on excellent wines.

[Anonymous]

Get a good wine store and learn what you like. A well-chosen $15 california cabernet will beat a $70 malbec for me any day of the week. But that is me. What do you like?