13 replies to this topic

[OEXCHAOS]

Mark: For me an extra $1/gal is roughly $300 a year (gotta love urban living!).

That won't cover my monthly wine bill.

Monthly... Good God I hope not.

SHHHH!

I have no desire for folks to know how much wine I ACTUALLY drink.

And I'm not so sure I want them to know how much I pay per bottle or how little...

M

For me an extra $1/gal is roughly $300 a year (gotta love urban living!).

That won't cover my monthly wine bill.

But I feel sorry for the poor folks who have to commute 40 minutes each way. Those in the SUV's, however, can suck it up.

Mark

I like that idea. Buy less gas and more wine. Mark, I gotta hand it to you, you sure know how to live...

I prefer the bouquet of wine to that of petrol!



But you know, I have polished some of the finer skills of the bon vivant. Granted, it's a Scottish bon vivant, but still...

M

[PorkLoin]

Mark: And I'm not so sure I want them to know how much I pay per bottle or how little...

I think it's rather a hard game with wine prices -- there is so much variation in them as well as in one's personal preference. Lots of good buys in the $10 - $20 range, IMO, and once in a while there'll be a $7 deal that's surprisingly tasty. Had some mighty good Barolos and Amarones, etc., that go up around $50 - $75, but don't see it as worth it to drink them all the time: I get tired of the same thing and it makes it seem less special.

Never have paid over $200 and with the rare $130 or so item I end up thinking, "This really isn't 6 or 7 times as good as what we usually get..." A good buttery, silky J. Lohr chardonnay for $10 or $12 comes with a hint of vanilla and lemon and is hard to beat.

I guess in the end it's fun to try a lot of different wines.


Doug

[TechSkeptic]

I guess I'm lucky that I can save money by not being very good at wine-tasting. I can definitely tell the difference between a $5 bottle and a $12 bottle, but from $12 to $20, I can't tell much difference, and anything over $20 is completely wasted on me.

[OEXCHAOS]

Once I get over $25 I expect a very fine bottle of wine. I've been disappointed many a time, but in my experience, it's surprisingly common to find $20 wines that rival or beat much more expensive bottles if you shop the rights stores. I also drink a lot of very good "quaffing" wines in the sub $10 zone, though the good ones don't last long at those prices. Also, the cheapest way to beat the really expensive stuff is to buy well structured wines in the high 'teens or low 20's, or perhaps even cheaper, and put them up for a couple years. I've done that occasionally, but not as much as I'd like. It's hard to hide several hundred bucks worth of wine every year without getting into it.