In this current economy it seems everyone is looking for a wine bargain in terms of price. With everyone cutting back, we become very price sensitive especially in regard to “extras” such as wine.But is price sensitivity really a new anything new? For the last thirty year or so, I have been searching for good wine values and I will, like almost anyone else, take the price of the wine into consideration.

Good wine does not have to be expensive and expensive wine may not be necessarily good.

Evidence of this is frequently found in various wine ratings in Parker, the Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and so on. Take, for example, the 2006 Peter Lehmann Shiraz from Barossa Valley, Australia scoring 91 points in the Wine Spectator. I’ve loved this wine for years and at $15 or less is a real bargain. But one will also find many wines of the $50+ variety scoring in the 80’s.

But that is a topic of another blog: the relationship of wine prices to ratings.

Back to retail wine prices.

Big Box Discount Retailers and Wine Prices

Wholesale clubs may have started this rush to discounting wine prices and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out it’s because they buy nationally on quantity. But have you ever looked for a sales associate at a discount whole sale club store like Sam’s Club or BJs to ask about the flavor components of the wine or the possible food pairings for a particular wine? You might find have found a real bargain based on the wine price, but is you require assistance, then it is not to be found.

Then along comes the big wine and spirit stores with their method of pricing wine.

You know them, the wine supermarkets. They line case stack featured wines by the front door as you grab your shopping cart to load up. Then aisles and aisles of what seems to be great wine bargains. A single wine may have 20 separate facings in different parts of the store. Makes it look like a candy shop for adults.

Here they have sales associates ready to direct you and answer your most demanding wine question. Or so it seems. In my judgment, they are playing to the novice wine drinker who accepts their responses as fact. Many of them are not fact, and they would rather give what seems to be an informed response than to say they don’t know.

Local Wine Stores and Local Wine Prices

A local friendly wine retailer, and one who knows something about wine, will also buy wholesalers’ “close outs”. These are wines that are sold a deep discounts by the wholesaler to reduce inventory. Sometimes these are distressed wines or sometimes there are some bargains. You just never know. And if you buy a bottle and like it, there is a real good chance that next time you go in (heck, you can even call the next day), it will be gone, never to return. Don’t forget…they are close-outs. 

Trust the Wine Source, not the Wine Price

What if you were to pay say one or two dollars more, but knew you were buying from someone that actually took the time and knew something about the wine, the winery and winemaker? What if you knew that they selected a particular wine from the 1000’s of wines in distribution because it was better? And what if you bought wines from this purveyor, knew their tastes and how they compared to yours? You might even come to trust their judgment and know that the dollar or two you pay extra in the price of the wine would always come with a sense of satisfaction. 

Buying wine from a trustworthy wine purveyor does not mean you have to pay a fortune. If $15 is your limit, there are great, highly ranked wines avaialble for $15.00. I’ll bet you can even find some wine priced out at $12 or $10.

Don’t forget, “life’s too short to drink bad wine”, but it doesn’t have to be expensive either.

Last night I went to “wine wall” in my house – a large rack where I keep reasonably priced wines I want to try and review. I closed my eyes and reached out, blind.

I pulled out Buehler’s Zinfandel 2007 from California’s Napa Valley.

It’s been awhile since I had a Buehler and I remember them for their zin. For some reason, the name Buehler also has made me chuckle, reminds me of Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein. Oh, that was Frau Blücher. But I digress.

The Buehler Zinfandel actual label said the alcohol was 14.5%, though the winemaker’s notes on Buehler wine website said 15.3%. Could this be a long-lost Amador zin? Dry farmed from thirty-seven year old vines. I was expecting a monster Zinfandel. That’s not what I got.

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Cabernet Franc Grapes; not just for blending anymore!

I always knew the Cabernet Franc grape was a Bordeaux blending grape. I knew it added a little spice and pepper to the blends, but it was not until I was on a trip to the Loire region in France several years ago that I fell in love with the Cabernet Franc varietal as it own wine.

I have loved the Cabernet Franc varietal ever since.

Taking a trip down or was it up the Rhone River, I experienced the Cabernet Franc varietal in Chinon, Bourgueil, Anjou and Saumur-Champigny.

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Tips and ideas for when you attend a wine tasting party

Last night I went to a wine tasting party of a friend. I had been really looking forward to the wine event. For me, a good wine tasting party is like Christmas morning, the candy shop and a bookstore all rolled into one.

They had planned to have about 50 wines being poured at about 6 different stations in the room during the event.  It seemed to follow typical wine tasting party protocol: lots of wine glasses in different sizes, bottles of wine, the glasses of water, the spittoons.
 
As I meandered around the room, I remember why I love wine tastings. A wine tasting allows one to act, and often look like, you know what you are doing, even if you really don’t. I even had a pad a paper to take notes, although I noticed I was about the only one doing that. It allowed me to feel impressive and very serious about the wines, but even then, I had questions.

Different Kinds of Wine Tastings:

While most wine affectionardos will agree that any opportunity to taste fine wines is a party in itself, there are different sorts of wine tasting events. A wine tasting can range from a more class like structure that is educational to a full course dinner where food and wines are paired or a much more open layout where the feeling is much more overall like a party. A wine tasting can cover a singular vintage or a line of products from a winery, to a planned range of reds or a sampling of Chardonnays, or like the one I attended, a full array of wines.

Planning Your Attack at a Wine Tasting.

There are certain individual preferences that will factor in during a wine tasting. Most wine tastings will follow traditions and will offer the notorious “spit bucket”, but as many people attend wine tastings to actually drink the wine, the bucket is an optional factor.

When I am given my druthers at a wine tasting party,  I like to walk around the room and get an overview of how they are laid out and what the wines being sampled are. Then, I come up with a plan that usually follows my expected wine tasting routine: bubbles first, then whites, then reds. I make a point to go back and drink the ones I like.

Wine Tasting Party Fauxpas?

I asked a friend, who is a serious collector, about his methodology of tasting. He likes to seek out the “trophy” wines first  to ensure he gets to taste the better wines before they are gone. Then he’ll do bubbles, then whites, then reds in no particular order.

Some people might tell him that he is doing it wrong. Within the “white” and “red” wine categories there is a tasting hierarchy: Sauvignon blancs come before chardonnay,  Pinot noir then merlot then cabernet sauvignon, and at last, syrah.  The idea is to begin the pallet with the “lightest” flavor and move on to the heavier more robust wines. Of course, without a clear cut guide, one might wonder: When does a white zin or a Riesling then fit in? I have found that it is much easier to not get intimidated by such things, but to relax and follow my instincts. After all, there is usually not any “wine police” attending these events if you dare drink a wine out of order!

Helpful ideas to get the most out of your next wine tasting party:

• Bring something to write down notes about the wines you taste:

This tasting has prepared cards in front of each bottle which was a real nice touch. These cards had tasting notes, wine scores and prices. I used the back of the cards to make notes for me. Such profound statements such as “Ugh” or “Buy it!” helped jog my memory the next day when all the wines I tasted began to meld in my mind. If I didn’t have the cards, I would have used my notebook. Bottom line: something to write down notes.

• Don’t be intimidated by the looks of other wine tasters.:

Other attendees might know what they are talking about, or they might not. It doesn’t really matter. You are there to taste wine. Enjoy it.

• Be open-minded about the wines you are presented with:

You might think you hate oakey Chardonnay’s, but maybe you just haven’t found the right one just yet. The idea here is a taste…no commitment, no long term obligation, and you don’t even have to swallow.

• Let the Wines speak to you:

Follow your instincts and let yourself relax and have fun.

After a wine tasting party, I feel if I found 5 or 6 new friends. And I do mean the wines, not people!  I have also renewed my memory for 5 or 6 more wines that I had forgotten about and that’s a pretty good result for a wine tasting in my book.

Now, I can’t wait for the next wine tasting.  In fact, now that I have listed all these ideas, maybe I’ll host a party myself!