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The difference between $50 (about the least I'd pay for a red I actually want to drink) and $200 (I spend this much on single bottles about twice a year) is eno
by barrkel 9y ago
The difference between $50 (about the least I'd pay for a red I actually want to drink) and $200 (I spend this much on single bottles about twice a year) is enormous. The difference between $200 and $600 (the most I've paid for a bottle) is mostly cachet, a memorable event, an anchoring life experience. But rare wine can be expensive for other reasons than quality.
For example, if it's expensive because it's very old, it probably won't be very tasty. Then, it's like going to a museum, but instead of viewing the artifacts, you're ingesting them. I've sipped Madeira from the 19th century for these reasons - was about $70 for a few sips in a glass from an Enomatic at Hedonism Wines here in London. The experience is expensive because it's very rare and only some demand, rather than lots of demand and moderate supply.
- myrandomcomment 9y agoSo I take issue with the old not tasty comment. My wife and I have a pretty big collection of wine. We drink wine everyday with dinner mostly. For the older bottles right now looking I have some things - 72,76,78,82,85,93,94 - and more stuff in the 1999-2003 range. For all of those older wines the amount of time it is open before you drink is a huge key of how much taste you get. For the stuff from the 70s-80s I would open it 8 hours before drinking. The issue I find is most people thing 2 hours is enough, which it is not.
- onion2k 9y agoInteresting. Does that mean if you want to drink a vintage wine at a restaurant you should call ahead and let them know you'll be ordering it so they can prepare it properly? I've never been in a position to do that, but you never know...
- borkt 9y agoYes that is something that definitely happens.
- barrkel 9y agoI take my cue for less than tasty from the 1890s (Madeira) to 1950s (vintage port), FWIW.
- blang 9y agoIt's times like these in which I am glad I do not have a strong sense of smell (and thus not a refined sense of taste).
- myrandomcomment 9y agoI used to think I had a strong sense of smell, but then I met my wife. She can smell a fart on the top floor of a 3 story house when I am on the bottom floor! I have learned that my view of clean (which was beat into my head in the military) is down right smelling and dirty vs. how she thinks! The most interesting thing about smell is that it is so much an overriding factor in how we perceive taste. Everyone thinks it is the taste buds in the mouth, but no. Smell is so much more of it. Another interesting thing about having such a strong sense of smell is what you do not like. For example my wife hates beer. It's the smell and the taste is so over whelming vs what I smell and taste in it. I read it is common with people that are "super smellers"
- moehm 9y ago> The most interesting thing about smell is that it is so much an overriding factor in how we perceive taste. Everyone thinks it is the taste buds in the mouth, but no. Smell is so much more of it. That is called the retronasal smell. [0][1] Basically we "taste" food with the nose. [2] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retronasal_smell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retronasal_smell [1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retronasale_Aromawahrnehmung https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retronasale_Aromawahrnehmung (German) [2] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Weg_der_orthonasalen_und_retronasalen_Wahrnehmung.jpg https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Weg_der_orthonasalen_und...