Comments for Wine Tonite! http://www.winetonite.com Sharing the social aspect of wine from a personal perspective Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:51:42 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 Comment on Wine Prices and Image by Ben Simons http://www.winetonite.com/2010/03/10/wine-prices-and-image/comment-page-1/#comment-667 Ben Simons Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:51:42 +0000 http://www.winetonite.com/?p=1798#comment-667 Maybe we are predisposed to like a more expensive wine because we can't stand the thought that we blew $50 on a crappy bottle of wine. :) It is interesting how our brains play tricks on us. I don't really have a problem with serving an inexpensive bottle of wine to my friends, but I also wouldn't hesitate to serve a nicer bottle, just depending on the setting. I generally wait to give much information about the wine until people have already tried it, and have started to form their own opinions about it. I also am fortunate to have friends who generally aren't concerned with how much I spent on the wine. Maybe we are predisposed to like a more expensive wine because we can’t stand the thought that we blew $50 on a crappy bottle of wine. :) It is interesting how our brains play tricks on us.

I don’t really have a problem with serving an inexpensive bottle of wine to my friends, but I also wouldn’t hesitate to serve a nicer bottle, just depending on the setting. I generally wait to give much information about the wine until people have already tried it, and have started to form their own opinions about it. I also am fortunate to have friends who generally aren’t concerned with how much I spent on the wine.

]]> Comment on Wine Prices and Image by Joe http://www.winetonite.com/2010/03/10/wine-prices-and-image/comment-page-1/#comment-666 Joe Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:47:04 +0000 http://www.winetonite.com/?p=1798#comment-666 I often like to mix it up with a cheapie and a pricier bottle for my guests (or many of each). Usually, I don't have a problem sharing the expensive stuff with good friends, because they either do the same for us, or (more importantly), I want all the folks who drink the same $7 stuff every day to experience why some wines are worth the pricetag. Or, find another $7 wine (usually from an "unknown" region) that blows the incumbent out of the water. But, your article is right on: whether we like it or not, perception becomes reality, and we are absolutely, 100% influenced by price. I often like to mix it up with a cheapie and a pricier bottle for my guests (or many of each). Usually, I don’t have a problem sharing the expensive stuff with good friends, because they either do the same for us, or (more importantly), I want all the folks who drink the same $7 stuff every day to experience why some wines are worth the pricetag. Or, find another $7 wine (usually from an “unknown” region) that blows the incumbent out of the water. But, your article is right on: whether we like it or not, perception becomes reality, and we are absolutely, 100% influenced by price.

]]> Comment on Wine Prices and Image by Benito http://www.winetonite.com/2010/03/10/wine-prices-and-image/comment-page-1/#comment-665 Benito Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:47:54 +0000 http://www.winetonite.com/?p=1798#comment-665 I always put prices on the blog with the reviews, but almost never discuss them in real life and will scratch off the price stickers when necessary. If somebody asks me at dinner I'll let them know, but mostly I want people to like or dislike the wine on its own merits. Pricing is weird, too. There was a local restaurant that used to sell $8 bottles of Korbel for $35, and I wouldn't pay either price. There are those regional variations, where the price varies wildly across the country (particularly with imports), plus state wine taxes and other stuff. Thus your $10 of a simple Rhone wine in one state becomes a $30 indulgence in another. One of my strangest experiences with wine pricing came at a small blind tasting. 12 wines from a small California producer. They were good, but not spectacular. The tasters included retailers, distributors, bloggers, and novices. Afterward we agreed that a price of about $40 per bottle seemed appropriate. Then the bags came off and the price sheet came out, revealing each wine priced at $200. Our little group had burned through $2400 in wine and still weren't that impressed. I always put prices on the blog with the reviews, but almost never discuss them in real life and will scratch off the price stickers when necessary. If somebody asks me at dinner I’ll let them know, but mostly I want people to like or dislike the wine on its own merits.

Pricing is weird, too. There was a local restaurant that used to sell $8 bottles of Korbel for $35, and I wouldn’t pay either price. There are those regional variations, where the price varies wildly across the country (particularly with imports), plus state wine taxes and other stuff. Thus your $10 of a simple Rhone wine in one state becomes a $30 indulgence in another.
One of my strangest experiences with wine pricing came at a small blind tasting. 12 wines from a small California producer. They were good, but not spectacular. The tasters included retailers, distributors, bloggers, and novices. Afterward we agreed that a price of about $40 per bottle seemed appropriate. Then the bags came off and the price sheet came out, revealing each wine priced at $200. Our little group had burned through $2400 in wine and still weren’t that impressed.

]]> Comment on Wine Prices and Image by Kimberly http://www.winetonite.com/2010/03/10/wine-prices-and-image/comment-page-1/#comment-664 Kimberly Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:19:19 +0000 http://www.winetonite.com/?p=1798#comment-664 Well, I don't know anything about the "medial orbitofrontal cortex," but I can tell you that when a wine is expensive, or is a very limited production wine, and I know this before I taste it, I am predisposed to liking it more. I'm not proud of this, but I find it's the truth. One of the most eye-opening tasting experiences I've had is when I went to a blind tasting, and my favorite wine of the evening turned out to be a $12 Merlot from Washington State. Which I then bought bottle after bottle of, and was happy to do so! Well, I don’t know anything about the “medial orbitofrontal cortex,” but I can tell you that when a wine is expensive, or is a very limited production wine, and I know this before I taste it, I am predisposed to liking it more. I’m not proud of this, but I find it’s the truth.

One of the most eye-opening tasting experiences I’ve had is when I went to a blind tasting, and my favorite wine of the evening turned out to be a $12 Merlot from Washington State. Which I then bought bottle after bottle of, and was happy to do so!

]]> Comment on From Figs to Mountain Lions by Ed Thralls http://www.winetonite.com/2010/03/06/from-figs-to-mountain-lions/comment-page-1/#comment-663 Ed Thralls Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:54:04 +0000 http://www.winetonite.com/?p=1790#comment-663 Josh, Joe and Jason - thanks for the comments. It was a great start and only got better as the weekend went on! I will be working on my posts all week to get everyone caught up... it just doesn't get any better! Josh, Joe and Jason – thanks for the comments. It was a great start and only got better as the weekend went on! I will be working on my posts all week to get everyone caught up… it just doesn’t get any better!

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