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Wine’s Sweet Spot Is a $20 Bill
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/25/dining/reviews/wines-sweet-spot-is-a-20-bill-the-pour.html?src=me&ref=general ^ | July 24, 2012 | Eric Asimov

Posted on 07/25/2012 4:34:22 PM PDT by nickcarraway

WHAT’S the right price for a bottle of wine? Silly question, I know. All sorts of prices are right, depending on the quality of the wine, the scarcity, the demand and other economic, social and psychological imperatives.

Strictly speaking, a wine can be a great value at $10 or $200, though for most of us, a steal at $200 is small consolation, like a $5 million apartment deemed an excellent deal because its price has dropped by half.

Beyond the realm of the theoretical, though, there are wine bull’s-eyes where high values intersect with low prices. On the low end, that sweet spot ranges from $15 to $25; practically speaking, let’s call it $20.

Now I admit: $20 a bottle is not cheap. For that price, you could buy 10 bottles of Two-Buck Chuck, headaches no extra charge! For a little more (say, $10 a bottle), you can find wine that is perfectly palatable. But is palatable good enough?

Not for me. I want wine that excites me, that feels so good to drink that one sip urges on the next and the next after that. I want a wine that tells a story of a place and a people and a culture, that is not the predictable equivalent of a franchise restaurant but more like a little mom-and-pop’s, where you’re not always sure what you’ll find but you know it can have the capacity to inspire.

You might be able to find a bottle like that for $10. But it’s rarer than you think. At $15 to $25, though, the odds swing decidedly in your favor. With a little experience, you can find dozens of joyous bottles, plucked carefully from the ranks of the routine.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Hobbies
KEYWORDS: oenology; sourcetitlenoturl; wine
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To: nickcarraway

Back around 1980 SNL used to have a regular skit with winos who only drank expensive wine. I wish I could find a pic from that skit to post here. :) Can’t find that... so this’ll have to do...

MIDNIGHT CHOIR (Mogen David)
Larry Gatlin And The Gatlin Brothers Band

[D] The doors to the mission open at seven
And the soup will be ready about [A7] nine
Right now its six-thirty, they’re ragged and dirty
They standin’ and sittin’, and layin’ in [D] line

First they’ll do a little singin’, then hear a little preachin’
And get saved for the 3rd time this [G] week
A bowl of soup later and a [D] pat on the shoulder
And by [A7] midnight, they’re back on the [D] street.

[D] They walk to the corner of 4th street and Broadway
Then take the first alley on the [A7] right
One of them asks a stranger, how ‘bout a hand
And he gives ‘em one finger at a [D] time

Then they spot an old buddy, with a bottle of heaven
Then pass around what means ev’ry-[G] thing
One bottle for four, thank [D] God, someone scored
And now the [A7] Midnight Choir starts to [D] sing.

CHORUS: A CAPPELLA
Will they have Mogen David in heaven
Dear Lord, we’d all like to know
Will they have Mogen David in heaven, Sweet Jesus
If they don’t, who the hell wants to go.

CHORUS: W/ACCOMPANIMENT
Will they [G] have Mogen David in [D] heaven
[E] Dear Lord, we’d all like to [A7] know
Will they [G] have Mogen David in [D] Heaven, Sweet [G] Jesus
If they [D] don’t, who the [A7] hell wants to [D] go.
Oh! ... [G] (Come on now...)

If they [D] don’t, who the [A7] hell wants to [G] go, [D] Dear God.


21 posted on 07/25/2012 5:23:12 PM PDT by MarineBrat (Better dead than red!)
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To: Nachum

Thanks!!!!


22 posted on 07/25/2012 5:23:12 PM PDT by Gabz (Democrats for Voldemort.)
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To: EEGator
$12 everywhere...


23 posted on 07/25/2012 5:24:17 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: nickcarraway
Price isn't an issue for me as I buy high end by the case. My cellar has plenty of '89 and '90 Bordeauxs that I purchased in the early 90's and as late as 2000. Been stocking up on the 2009's and 2010's. That being said, I've had many great reds for 15.99 - 17.99. Malbecs are a still a steal despite their growing popularity and inflation.

As for whites, personally, anything over 20 and I'm just not tasting the difference. A 15 dollar Savignon Blanc form NZ tastes as good and in many cases (Kim Crawford) as a 20 or 50 dollar Pouilly Fume.

De gustibus non est disputandum.

24 posted on 07/25/2012 5:26:13 PM PDT by Sirius Lee (Goode over evil. Voting for mitt or obie is like throwing your country away.)
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To: mylife

Does it come with a 55 gallon steel drum for my evening fires?


25 posted on 07/25/2012 5:27:42 PM PDT by EEGator
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Thanks, I’ll look them up.


26 posted on 07/25/2012 5:28:57 PM PDT by EEGator
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To: nickcarraway
I never found a wine that suited my taste until I helped the in-laws make their own. I started making my own mustang grape wine and added a peach wine to boot. It's nowhere near $20 a bottle and surprisingly easy with the right equipment.
The best tasting wines are crafted with home made love...and I love them.
27 posted on 07/25/2012 5:30:02 PM PDT by jy8z (From the next to last exit before the end of the internet.)
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To: EEGator

You need to purchase that seperatly.


28 posted on 07/25/2012 5:30:29 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: mylife

Hah the owner of the company my daughter works for is always talking about how all he does is herd cats. We were at my favorite outlet grocery store and found a box of Herding Cats wine for $9.99 for him. Boy did he get a laugh out of that. He drank it too. ;)


29 posted on 07/25/2012 5:32:32 PM PDT by sheana
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To: nickcarraway

There’s tons of tasty wines for under $12.00 a bottle, particularly if you shop the sales or buy by the case.

Yellow Tail Chardonnay can be found for $8.00 a bottle and is wonderful when served deeply chilled on a hot summer day.

Good reds are out there too. 337 Cabernet Sauvignon can be found on sale for $10.00 a bottle, and is quite delicious.


30 posted on 07/25/2012 5:33:07 PM PDT by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: mylife
These are always fine beverages too:
31 posted on 07/25/2012 5:34:15 PM PDT by EEGator
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To: sheana
LOL!


32 posted on 07/25/2012 5:36:13 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: nickcarraway

I know 1984 is a long way back, but Far Niente Chardonnay was $5 a bottle and a steal back then - very good for the price. Now it’s usually well above $50 a bottle. I don’t mind paying that much as long as it’s an exceptional Vintage.


33 posted on 07/25/2012 5:40:43 PM PDT by jeffc (Welcome to the United Socialist States of America)
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To: nickcarraway

I like the taste of red wine but I don’t drink because two or three sips make me light headed, so I stay away from alcohol.

Last week Mrs. JohnnyP and I went for a nice lunch at Sabatini’s Italian Sausage place on Lido Isle. It’s been about thirty five years since I’ve had any wine, so I decided to order a glass of their house wine without checking the price. Yikes, $10 a glass and I only took four small sips with lunch, left about half of it. Any more and I would have had to ask Shirley to drive home. Tasted good, though. For me, I could only enjoy it in bed before sleep.


34 posted on 07/25/2012 5:41:50 PM PDT by JohnnyP
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To: EEGator

Mmmm Mmm...


35 posted on 07/25/2012 5:53:28 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: nickcarraway

Chilean Panilonco Carmenere at about $2.99 tastes like a $15-$25 bottle of wine from Trader Joes. Varies a bit, year by year, but fairly constant.


36 posted on 07/25/2012 6:03:54 PM PDT by Cvengr (Adversity in life and death is inevitable. Thru faith in Christ, stress is optional.)
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To: nickcarraway

This clown needs to get a life. Good things to eat and drink are fine - don’t get me wrong - but such a small fraction of life that I wonder about people who make such things the center of their lives.


37 posted on 07/25/2012 6:20:08 PM PDT by WorkingClassFilth (I'm for Churchill in 1940!)
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To: jy8z

I make an awesome Jalapeno wine and a really good Almond/Raisin wine.


38 posted on 07/25/2012 6:35:37 PM PDT by american_ranger
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To: mylife

Refreshing Whitr my favorite, 14.90 with tax.


39 posted on 07/25/2012 6:43:03 PM PDT by smalltownslick
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To: american_ranger

The Jalapeno wine intrigues me...any hints?


40 posted on 07/25/2012 6:46:21 PM PDT by jy8z (From the next to last exit before the end of the internet.)
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