Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Behind the price tag
There are lots of factors that go into the cost of a bottle of wine
Just like cars, frying pans or running shoes, there are wines in all sorts of price ranges -- from the head-scratchingly cheap to the frighteningly expensive. So why does one wine cost $12 when another costs $120?
In most cases it's impossible to single out one factor that makes a wine expensive, so let's start from the beginning. Hand-picked clusters of grapes from the best vineyards are usually the base ingredient for pricier wines -- and the hand-pickers have got to be paid. New, pricy French or American oak barrels are often used in the fermentation or aging process, rather than large stainless steel vats. Then you have to sit on your asset -- pricier wines are usually aged longer than entry-level wines, often sitting in barrels for two years or longer.
Pricier wines tend to be made in small quantities -- often hundreds of cases (rather than thousands or more) are produced. Limited production is often the result of using select parcels of grapes from premium vineyards, but can also be driven by the almighty dollar -- scarcity can drive easily drive up the price. Many "cult" wines from California that have received critical praise (more on this later) are made in extremely small quantities and are only available to those on their mailing list -- and the wait to get on the list can be years.
Some wines are made in smaller quantity by necessity -- ice wine, for example, requires more grapes just to make the 375-ml bottle size. Because most of the water in the grape is frozen, the concentrated nectar is all that remains. Similarly, grapes destined for Italy's big, burly Amarone wines are dried on bamboo racks before being crushed, meaning the grapes shrivel to a raisiny state. Like ice wine, more grapes are needed to produce Amarone (which, once fermented, is typically aged in oak for around three years).
Then there's reputation -- if a wine receives high praise from influential critics like Robert Parker or Wine Spectator magazine, the price of the wine is likely to climb, and fast. Wines that receive higher than 93-ish points on the 100-point scales used by both Parker and Wine Spectator rarely cost less than $50. Sadly, one good score is all it takes for a wine's price to jump permanently -- subsequent vintages can be plonk, but the price will rarely come back down.
So while some higher-priced wines require more labour, hands-on care and are necessarily made in smaller quantities, others are priced higher based on one or two good vintages (and reviews), and purposefully made scarce so as to keep demand (and price) high. Unfortunately, it's impossible to tell by looking at a bottle which case you have on your hands.
My advice? Read. Peruse reviews from the public on a website like www.cellartracker.com to get many opinions on a wine. Talk to the people selling you the wine and get their opinion on the stuff. And never judge a book by its cover -- or in this case, a wine by its label.
uncorked@mts.net
UMANI RONCHI 2007 "VILLA BIANCHI" VERDICCHIO DIE CASTELLI DI JESI (Marche, Italy -- around $13, available at private wine stores)
Medium gold in colour, the Villa Bianchi has light aromas of perfume, fresh flowers, pear, and a hint of minerality. It's a crisp, light-bodied white with low acidity and nice red apple and pear flavours with a light, nutty finish.
TERRA D'ALIGI 2004 "TATONE" MONTEPULCIANO D'ABRUZZO (Abruzzo, Italy -- $16.95, available at Liquor Marts and beyond)
A tarry, rubbery component on the nose (that I quite enjoy) complements the plum and stewed cherry notes nicely -- very Italian. It's full-bodied and chewy, with tart cherry, dark chocolate and black pepper flavours and a medium finish. The peppery notes and the medium tannin add complexity -- highly recommended and a great value. Try with sharp cheeses.
TOMMASI 2003 AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO (Verona, Italy -- $53.02, available at Liquor Marts and beyond)
The Tommasi offers a complex nose of plum, menthol, black cherry, vanilla, raisin and cloves. This wine is full-bodied, with black pepper, raisin, spice, plum and pipe tobacco flavours. The tannins are restrained and despite typically high alcohol (15 per cent), it's not obtrusive. A very good quality red that is worth the hefty price tag -- drink now or hold for 5 to 7 years.
Wine website of the week:
SCENE FROM TALES OF TERROR http://tinyurl.com/blackcatwine
Vincent Price and Peter Lorre in a hilarious wine-tasting
competition scene from this 1962 film based on the writings of Edgar Allen Poe.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 11, 2009 F4
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