A few anecdotal observations: - That people can't tell the difference between a $22 bottle and a $119 bottle does not surprise me; I've long suspected wines in

A few anecdotal observations: - That people can't tell the difference between a $22 bottle and a $119 bottle does not surprise me; I've long suspected wines in the $100 - $n000+ range were priced arbitrarily or down to esoteric factors. - Is $22 considered "cheap"? e.g. I would imagine the majority of people may be able to easily tell the difference between a $119 bottle and a $5 bottle. - I would not say expensive wine tastes "better" but rather that it tastes "specific". Some may prefer the taste of cheaper wines, but most would prefer the expensive taste. Take for example a Lambrusco: it's an inherently "cheap" wine type, despite being DOC, largely due to being young and made from high-yield grapes. But it also has a very specific flavour that would never be associated with expensive wines. But it's not "worse"; it has it's place and people much prefer Lambrusco in certain contexts.