Time to Spend More

Most everyone has a typical amount that they spend on a bottle of wine. For some people, that might be $5, for some $10, for some $25, and maybe for others $200. I hope that whatever you are spending, it doesn't affect the rest of your life.

The question for today is when should you spend more. In other words, what should cause you to choose to spend more for a bottle of wine than you normally would. And, for purposes of this post, we're going to assume that whatever you would customarily drink at home, you might buy the same bottle in a restaurant, of course paying a lot more.

For the most part, you are paying more for one or more of three reasons:

  1. The wine is ageworthy and will improve in character over time
  2. The wine is trendy
  3. The wine is really good, but often there is an intersection between this and #1
Let's start with #2. The wine is trendy and as a result, the price has gotten jacked up. We all know examples. Often times, the brand has recently been sold from a family to a wine and spirits mega-company. They market the bejeezus out of this new label they have acquired and then they charge you, the customer, for that marketing. 

There is only very rarely a good reason to buy that wine. In fact, I would like to say that if you know that that pattern is in play, there might never be a good reason.

In the case of #1 where we said the wine is ageworthy, let's consider your circumstances. Will you let the wine age properly? If the answer is no, stop and do not buy. Do you appreciate well-aged wine? If the answer is no, stop and do not buy. But, if you can afford the bottle and you are willing to be patient and you can appreciate the evolution of a well-aged wine, you are the person who should consider buying that one. All that said, when you do open it, please do your best to pair it well, serve it at an appropriate temperature, decant it if necessary, and enjoy it.

Finally, in the case of #3, frankly, most people can't tell the difference. Particularly if the wine is very young when they open it, not only can't they tell the difference, but even many wine snobs can't. For example, a Cabernet from Diamond Mountain AVA or Howell Mountain or Mount Veeder might not be approachable at age 2 or 3 or even 5. And, those wines tend to be quite pricey. So, if you are buying from a place like that or from Barolo or the Left Bank, you're going to pay for it, so make sure you can appreciate it.

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