What makes a wine expensive and why a wine sells at less price? These two
questions might have come to your mind many a times while buying wines, be it
cheap or expensive. Another question that hooks is that whether it is possible
to find quality wine traits in an inexpensive wine? Let's get deep into this
and explore the truth behind expensive wines vs cheap wines. The following tips
will help you seek a better wine.
There are three main factors that play a major role in developing the taste and determining the price for a wine.
Oak
Oak barrels are used to age a wine and evolve it with nutty flavours. The most coveted winemakers in the world prefer using new oak barrels to add in vanilla and baking spice flavours. On the other hand, wines that are aged in old oak barrels develop less characters than the wines aged in new oak. Also the new oak barrels, especially the French ones, are in huge demand, hence they come costly when compared to American oak. That increases the value of the wine by $2-4 per bottle.
Time
It is generally assumed that the wine gets better with time. It does, in some reds, but it is equally important to know that ageing wine actually changes the taste of fruit flavours, and reduces tannins and acidity in the wine. Some wines taste better when holded for 10 years but the point here is that holding wines for years takes space and money both. This adds more cost, probably $1 to $5 per bottle (depending on the time for which the wine has been holded) to the wine. As far as white wines are concerned, most of them taste better when enjoyed young and fresh.
Terroir
A wine’s journey begins
in the vineyard, and a vineyard’s site plays a very important role in
determining the value of the wine. For producing premium and fine quality
wines, winemakers focus at making their vines low-yielding. The location of the
vineyard also matters. For example, a vineyard located at hill with low
nutrient soil tend to produce quality grapes when compared to the fertile soils
of a river delta. Also, the variety of the grape grown in a particular region
might add to the value of the wine. Take example of Shiraz from Barossa Valley
and a Riesling from Clare Valley. Both places have earned a reputation
worldwide for the respective varieties. So, even if you have a low-priced varietal from a region where it is best grown, it might be worth trying.
