The price is (not always) right

Entering the strange dimension where cost does not equal quality

By TYLER BALLIET

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There is a secret every wino understands: Price and quality of a wine are not directly related. What this means is that a $50 bottle is rarely twice as good as a $25 one. A $1,500 bottle will not taste 100 times better than a $15 one. As price increases, the quality generally does too—but so does scarcity and bragging rights. These factors can drive prices of individual bottles higher than your rent.

Quality-to-price ratios vary greatly from region to region. For example, the basic entry point for a bottle from France's famed Bordeaux region is about $25. There are decent bottles of Bordeaux for less, but they are few and far between. Instead of spending $15 on a crappy bottle of Bordeaux, take that money to the state of Washington, where you can find high-quality wines, made from the same grapes, at half the price. The region is less well known, but they have been importing young French winemakers who are making fantastic bottles.

Pinot Noir is another perfect example. Without a doubt, the best Pinots in the world come from France's Burgundy region. The only problem is that the good ones start at about $50 and quickly climb into the hundreds. Instead, look to Oregon, which is climatically and geographically similar to Burgundy. The wines here still aren't cheap (starting around $20), but they offer an equal level of quality to the more expensive Burgundies.

Champagne (actual Champagne from France's Champagne region) has never been cheap, but prices hit the roof in 2007. Instead of dropping $50 on a bottle of bubbly, look toward Spain or Argentina. Spanish Cava was created with the intention of being an everyday sparkler. Bottles are around $10 and can offer the same baller feeling without the price tag. Argentina, following suit, has started to create great sparkling wine for under 10 bucks.

Perception is important. A scientific study done by Stanford and Caltech has shown that when people thought a $10 bottle cost $90, they enjoyed it significantly more. On the other hand, we recently heard a story about two casual wine drinkers grabbing a bottle from their parents' cellar, not finishing it because they thought it sucked and later finding out it cost $1,000.

We've tasted many "high end" wines, and we're not here to tell you they suck. On the contrary, some of them have changed our lives and/or gotten us laid. However, paying for them does suck. A lot. After crunching the numbers, it works out like this: For less than the price of a single bottle of Dom Pérignon, you can buy an entire case of über-tasty Cristalino Cava. Hey, it's not Dom—but by the third bottle, we guarantee your friends will blithely forgive and forget.

DRINK MORE WINE!

[This column was originally published on 3.26.08]