Fine Wine - What Will You Spend?

How many of you are wine enthusiasts? I know half the joy of being a wine connoisseur is finding those hidden gems that are both outstanding, yet reasonably priced - but how "serious" do you get?

I agree- my favorite wines were world class bottlings from small, unknown producers, mostly in the Languedoc-Rousillon area. There's nothing as good as finding a $15-20, legitimate 90+ pt wine.

ouch said:

I agree- my favorite wines were world class bottlings from small, unknown producers, mostly in the Languedoc-Rousillon area. There's nothing as good as finding a $15-20, legitimate 90+ pt wine.

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But what's your limit my good friend. I know you've got a large quantity of some really, really nice wines....

trader joes, 2 buck chuck.

I haven't purchased any really good stuff in quite some time. The prices of wine have just become ridiculous. When I see some of them, I have to laugh. I tend to stick with low to moderately priced bottles, and when I want something good (and on the rare chance that I have the time to properly enjoy one) I walk down the stairs into my basement.

I don't so much chase bottles as I chase experiences at wineries - thoughts of tastings enjoyed and pleasant conversations with the winemaker tend to add a lot to my enjoyment of a particular bottle, whether it's from Argentina or from Virginia. Of course, we tend to select the wines that are most pleasing to us in terms of complexity, vintage, etc.

So, I voted $50, but if you add the cost of the trip, the price goes up

There is a large gap between 200 and 1000 and my threshold is in there somewhere. For a special dinner or for the cellar I will spend several hundred when the need arises. Like most others, I have many more wines at much lower price points which are the "gems" in this passion.

I have purchased a couple of really expensive bottles in the past, so I voted "I'll spend what I need to." Occasionally it's worth the money to try a really unique wine, but there are so many good, inexpensive wines out there that you don't need to spend over $100 to get a great wine. In fact, the vast majority of wines that I buy are well under $50 and usually in the $10-25 range. Bargain hunting is half the fun.

As I have nowhere to lay up quality wine, it has to be for the here and now. I may splash out to maybe $100 for a really special occasion.

Generally since I tend to drink it with a meal I tend to stay in the lower end - say sub-$20 - as I lack both the skill of a sommelier to be able to match wine X from year Y with meal Z, and the budget to have a vast range in.

I do find that old world wines are overpriced (lack of supply) compared to some excellent Argentine and Chilean wines that are being produced by established vineyard owners from California, Australia, etc. Very partial to a good Malbec.

Many times, on Wine Til Sold Out (wtso.com), a so-called 50 dollar bottle of wine is available for less than $25 (delivered). In fact, this morning (October 10, 2010), the best price on the web yesterday for a specific Sangiovese was $61.20 (including shipping) and it's available on that website for $24.99. I guess I'm running into a definitional problem as to what the price of any given wine actually is. Getting back to the poll, I would be willing to spend something in the $50 range on wtso and would expect to obtain a wine that is "valued" at much more than that. I have no affiliation with that website and, after reading my post, admittedly sound somewhat like a cheerleader for it, but I discovered it recently with great results. Also, wtso regularly posts a series of reviews for most wines from Parker, Wine Spectator and others so you can see what point designations the wine has received.

I put $100, but thats probably for a special occasion at a restaurant where I know there is a markup. I just don't see the point paying more than that for wine. ..

I've spent in the 100-200 dollar range for a few bottles. Fortunately, I've burned out on wine so I get to keep more of my money.

Fifty bucks is my limit. I usually let someone else decide what to buy.

I find so many really good wines for less than $50, that I chose that one. There are great wines available for less than that. Actually, I should say good wines. I am not an expert. I do love wine, though. I have enjoyed simple wines from my home region (the Yadkin valley), and also European and California and Australian wines. Chilean wines get my respect also. Really, it's a buyer's market now. Great wines for good prices.

The only balk I have is heavily marked-up prices in restaurants. But, as long as I am paying using company Amex, it's okay. I don't usually buy good wine is restaurants. I'm too cheap for that.

I don't think I'll ever pay more than $50 for a bottle of wine, I don't drink that much and when we get a bottle I tend to wind up using about a quarter of it in cooking.

I really just don't "get" wine. My SWMBO does, I do not. I can appreciate the nuances in Scotch single malts, bourbon, and fine tequila. I however, cannot appreciate much in wine. It's truly lost on me. I don't mind it, but I'll embarrassingly stick to Barefoot and Yellow Tail.

Check accidentalwine.com you may find it interesting.

Price, label, etc., we check Parker if we have questions and go from there and also check B & B which has been helpful. A late friend of ours said that for a price you could always get good wine but the enjoyment was getting the most/best for your money. We realize that quality, supply, demand are all important determiners of price and blind tastings by knowledgeable individuals are likewise contributing factors all of which we appreciate in our enjoyment.

For us the first glass is the best and this seems to diminish with each subsequent glass which leads us to think that perhaps just perhaps the human race is designed for consuming/enjoying about twelve ounces of wine a day and science seems to support this theory in relation to enjoying wine without impairing/endangering one's health.

We drink the wine(s) of the countries we are visiting when we travel and find it aids in interacting with the citizens of those countries i.e. we appreciate/respect their wine(s) and they respect/appreciate us for doing so; one hand washes the other = clean hands for all. We also discover some excellent wines, fine people, etc. by doing so. We discovered the best wines wines we have drunk that way i.e. the last, the current, the next but can't seem to remember label, varietal, price or anything else other than enjoyment. We do remember that "Wherever a friendly sun does shine, there's usually laughter and good wine; at least we've found it so, Benedicamus Domino!" Author unknown but our thanks to Ralph and Lu Junge better fellow travellers/enjoyers of wine would have been difficult if not impossible to find anywhere. Our thanks to you also fellow B & B members; we think of you in our travels and when we drink wine wherever we may be.

Thank you for this thread.

I do not like wine enough to spend more than $50 on a bottle, especially considering that I get much better "drinking value" from other higher-end whiskies and other spirits.

Normally up to $30, but I tend to find gems around $10 all the time. I don't get much of a kick out of spending a huge amount when I can find something just as good for cheap. But when we go to wineries, we go up to $100.

letterk said:

Normally up to $30, but I tend to find gems around $10 all the time. I don't get much of a kick out of spending a huge amount when I can find something just as good for cheap. But when we go to wineries, we go up to $100.

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Agreed. The wine market is huge in variety and has many options that are a good value. For me personally, high dollar wines can't be justified when there are so many less expensive choices that would bring very nearly the same amount of enjoyment and satisfaction. $15-25 seems to be a sweet spot in my experience. If I weren't in a high alcohol tax state with limited variety, I would probably have some $10 gems as well.