The Paso Robles Cab Collective Part 1

It's that time of year again when Cabernet becomes the focus in Paso Robles. The Paso Robles Cab Collective put on the CABs of Distinction Grand Tasting May 2nd with a plethora of award winning Bordeaux wine for your tasting pleasure. How do we know? We have been every year! Then there is the industry event in the middle of the next week. There are a lot of great wine events that we look forward to and new ones popping up all the time but few offer the top heavy premium wine that this event does.
As strange as it sounds, Cabernet in Paso Robles, was the entry wine for me in the late eighties while living in Paso Robles. There were just a few wineries back then but the ones I remember enjoying many times were Eberle, Adelaida, and Justin.

This year the media industry event was set up a little different and we also decided to change it up and have an overnight stay so we could really enjoy ourselves with out the hassle of driving.

First up for us was a tasting session with The Quaff Report, by the SOMM Journal. This was a panel made up of Moderator Mike Madrigale, head sommelier at New Yorks Boulud, Jared Hooper wine director, Darius Allyn Maste Sommelier, Traci Dutton Sommelier, Paul Coker Sommelier, Terence Leavey Sommelier, and Naureen Ziam Wine director. This group of wine professionals were tasting six Cabernet or Cabernet blend wines. Two from France, two from Napa Valley and two from Paso Robles. Is it wrong to get a little joy from the sommeliers guessing wrong sometimes? Probably felt that way because we were watching them taste and had nothing to taste ourselves. Like a starving man watching someone eat in from of them. While interesting to listen to them engage in comparisons, we did feel a little disconnected. It would have been, at least for us, way better had we had the same wines to compare their commentary with our own sensory impressions. During the Q&A we were dying to ask 'you going to finish that?' But being the consummate professionals that we are there was no such disruption. The takeaway from this aside from learning we care a lot less when not engaged ourselves is that Somms can be wrong and Paso Cabs are as good as anything anywhere.

During the lunch break we wandered down to Thomas Hill Organics for some of the best burgers anywhere. Paired up with a bottle of Parish Family Vineyards Cabernet of course. Highly recommend that combination there.

The afternoon session was a lesson in phenolics that was both very interesting and a little overwhelming.
Paso Phenolics Phenomenon. The discussion revolved around understanding the ability to pinpoint moments in the maceration process that has an influence on making wine starting from set through bottling to help make better choices for making better wines. Most red wine analysis stop with the measurements of pH, Brix and TA measurements. But virtually all of the key compounds that make red wines red, or why some red wines are more astringent than others, are due mainly to the concentrations of phenolic compounds. As opposed to measuring specific compounds in red wines, Drs. Adams and Harbertson desire to measure the total amount of phenolic materials that precipitate with (salivary) proteins knowing that these proteins react with many different molecular weight Tannins and Polymeric Pigment. Together they created an assay that brought together the sensory perception of a wine’s astringency and color with its quantities of phenolic materials present in the wine. In short, how wine is perceived on the palate and how it tastes. Heady stuff!

As the phenolic discussion was happening we were tasting four great exaples of Paso Robles Cabernet. One from Cass Vineyard and Winery their 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, Adelaida Cellars 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, J. Lohr Vineyards and wines 2010 Hilltop Cabernet Sauvignon and Vina Robles Vineyards and Winery 2010 Suendero and a fifth wine that was an example of a wine with too much astringency, Wine A. The take away here was that phenolics are a great tool to help with the process of making wine. It is something you are going to hear a lot more about. Wine A was as advertised a very unbalanced wine and the four from Paso Robles were, well lets just say all our glasses were empty.

Happy Wine Adventures,

Cheers,

WineWalkabout

 

#WW 2012 Kalleske Moppa Shiraz

We came across this little beaut of a wine at our favorite Southern hemisphere wine connection, Southern Latitues in Carmel Valley California. The wine was selected because we had not had this before and we are always looking for a new taste. The wine, a 2012 Kalleske Moppa Shiraz from the Barossa Valley. The Moppa is predominantly Shiraz with a trace of Petit Verdot (10%) and Viognier (5%) blended in. The grapes are from ten different blocks on the Kalleske’s  organic farm, with the oldest of these blocks planted in 1961. In 1853 the Kalleske farm and vineyard was established at Moppa near Grennock in the Barossa Valley's north west. This wine was grown, vintage and matured on the Kalleske Estate.

Here are the winemaking notes right off the website;
WINEMAKING The Shiraz was harvested in numerous batches from February 24th to March 30th. The Viognier was harvested on March 12th and co-fermented with a portion of Shiraz. The Petit Verdot is a late ripener and was harvested on April 11th.  All batches were wild fermented in open top fermenters with hand pumpovers twice a day during fermentation. After 7 to 14 days on skins the fermented grapes were traditionally pressed. The wine was aged in hogshead barrels for eighteen months. Approximately 25% new French, American, Hungarian and Russian oak was used with the balance seasoned barrels. On completion of maturation, a small portion of Petit Verdot and Shiraz/Viognier was blended for added complexity.

What a treat this wine was to drink. The Moppa Shiraz is deep purple in color with a bright and garnet light reflection. It is quite fragrant with potpourri and cinnamon spice as well as dark fruit. The palate is full bodied, juicy and has a generous mouthful of red and black fruits. It is complex with subtle oak influence and smooth tannins adding a lovely structure.  It is very well balanced and is a very easy drinking but full flavored Shiraz. Generous and opulent the wine finishes with great fruit expression and lengthy integrated  tannins. Moppa 2012 is an expressive wine that can be enjoyed now or will probably cellar well for a few years. This was such a great find and at **** and a solid 7+ one to keep an eye out for. Will be looking to stop by the next time we are in town to check out this seven generation family property.


Happy Wine Adventures,

Cheers, 

WineWalkabout

Destination Wedding Dinner in Monterey

 

Talk to any one who has been around a while about weddings and sit back and let the stories flow. There are the stories about people, places, costs and surprises, both good and bad. Now any event can be tough to get to go as planned, but a wedding just ups the stress level to make that happen as well as the number of things that can go differently (read wrong from a brides point of view).

Here is a story of one wedding that went very well and was by all accounts quite cost efficient by wedding standards without sacrificing anything but volumes of people. It is hard to understand the complexities of planning a wedding and the amount of work that goes into it unless you have been intimately involved in doing it. This is one well executed, being well planned, with great help and awesome vendor partners.

Decide on your venues early. Six months out is probably too late. At twelve months out try to at least have it narrowed down to your top two or three and decide as quick as you can. After looking at dozens of options one place kept coming up in conversation. For this destination wedding reception in Monterey California it was the Library Room at Tarpy's Roadhouse with a meal created by Chef Todd Fisher and crew.

Trying to get a quality meal with choices (including the gluten free and allergic crowd) is no small task. After meeting with and talking options with a number of vendors there seemed to be few who could offer the number of choices and the quality of food that were found at Tarpy's Roadhouse. Combine the great food options, lovely room and décor combine that with a very very competitive price and there seemed only one thing to do. Keep the Bride happy and seal the deal.

Next up was to narrow down the choices for the big evenings meal. After reviewing the menu options and selecting a variety to taste it was time to book a tasting date and finalize the menu. After what was a fabulous tasting session the final menu selections were made.

These are the selections that were made;

There were three passed hors d'oeuvres, a  flat iron brochette with chimichurri, grilled prawns wrapped with applewood smoked bacon in a tequila-honey glaze and Castroville artichokes.

The salad course was an Iceberg Wedge with smoked bacon, toy box tomatoes, creamy gorgonzola.

For the main course the three selections chosen were  Herb Crusted Sterling Salmon with rice pilaf, roasted cauliflower & Brussels sprout leaves, lemon beurre blanc and tomato relish. Roasted Chicken Breasts with spring vegetables, crispy fingerlings and harissa and salsa verde. Maple Brined Pork Chop with smoked apple mash, sweet corn grits and roasted cauliflower.

All the guests were gushing with complements for the service and staff and to quote a few "the most amazing food". There were also a number of custom orders and all were served perfectly including the grooms request for mashed potatoes in lieu of the grits.

The wines were selected from the wine list of local wines and all were enjoyed. There were a couple special bottles just to add some extra choice and the bubbly used for the toast was enjoyed by all.

There was a Joyce Vineyards Steel Chardonnay, a De Terra Pinot Noir and a McIntyre Merlot and the groom brought along a bottle of Bargetto La Vita as a symbolic drop and a few bottles of Ventana Vineyards Le Mistral. Lovely wines all and by the amount consumed very much enjoyed.
Great price, great choices, beautiful setting, wonderful staff, awesome food, lovely wines and a night to remember thanks to the great crew at Tarpy's Roadhouse.

Happy Wine / Life Adventures,

Cheers,

 

WineWalkabout

 

 

Hammersky, Paso Robles California

As strange as it sounds Cabernet was the entry wine for me in the late eighties while living in Paso Robles. There were just a few back then but the ones I remember enjoying many times were Eberle, Adelaida,  and Justin. There were others along the way as well like J Lohr, Parrish Family Winery and Michella. A few years ago we were introduced to a winery that at the time we had not heard of, but were soon to become big fans of. HammerSky Vineyards. Owners Douglas and Kim Hauck purchased the 50 acre property which is in the Adalaida / Willow Creek AVA property in 2007 and had a vision of a unique and picturesque  property, Doug and Kim tastefully enhanced the historic site to become a working winery and Inn that they could share with others. The vision is in place with extra points for overachieving.

The place is simply soul soothing with its tasteful and elegant tasting room with picnic tables just outside and the most welcoming lawn with oak tree area. A unique and tasteful 'Gone with the Wind' style renovated farm house that is the perfect base for a special trip to the area or a spectacular wedding venue. There is also a beautifully done southern style barn for your event.

Along with the beautifully executed property structures Doug was and is passionate about making truly special wines. Wines that express the best characteristics of this special place. There are twenty-five acres of estate vines at HammerSky Vineyards, which Doug and Kim named for their two sons, Hamilton and Skyler that were planted in 1997. The soil in these vineyards compares favorably with that of France’s renown Bordeaux region and is composed of shale, 152 linne calodo calcareous shale soils, limestone and calcareous sandstone. These soils encourage the vines to root deeply, and imparts a balanced minerality to the finished wine. "Hand crafted, and in small lots," Doug describes HammerSky wines as “Couture' crafted wines for the senses". As much as we enjoy some of these wine we are not about to question his description.

While we have enjoyed a number of HammerSky  the one that has truly redefined the baseline for Cabernet was the 2010 Limited Resource Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Now we try the 2012 Limited Resource Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. The vines only yield 2.5 tons per acre by design for this hand picked beauty.

 

HammerSky says,

Doug’s pride and joy, Limited Resource comes from carefully selected estate Cabernet Sauvignon. This Cab has a beautifully rich ruby color, and a crisp clean nose full of red fruit and vanilla. The mouth feel is rich and full, while complex flavors of black raspberry, cinnamon, earth, and leather intermingle on the palate. A true Paso Robles Cab! Drinkable now, but will age well for the next five years. Eat with grilled meats or hearty pasta dishes.

So what do we think about it? Well lets just say Doug has good taste. This is a beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon. So beautifully balanced with a hint violet on the nose as well as some red and black cherry with an interesting strawberry note and a bit of leather. The nice full mouth feel is filled with bright black cherry, Blackberry, plum, vanilla and a dark chocolate tannin finish and is simply well balanced and very well integrated with a smooth finish. This truly is a special wine that is a wonderful complement to a red meat meal. We paired it with a New York bone in steak, French fingerling potatoes, mushrooms and green beans and it was just amazing. For those enquiring minds this ** wine rates a 8 - 9 and is a very special drop. Technical description is 'wow yum'. Bloody Nora this wine is a genuine cracker!


Whether you are looking to enjoy fine estate wines, or relax in a historic farmhouse amidst a working vineyard, you will find HammerSky to be more than you imagine. The tasting room is open Thursday-Sunday or by appointment and the farmhouse is rented year-round. Doug and Kim Hauck, along with the friendly staff will welcome you to indulge in the elegant romance that is HammerSky. So head on over and get a taste of some truly unique and delicious wines and great hospitality and tell em we sent you.

Happy Wine Adventures,

Cheers,

WineWalkabout

Here is a little video with Doug talking about HammerSky

Destination Wedding in Monterey California

Talk to any one who has been around a while about weddings and sit back and let the stories flow. There are the stories about people, places, costs and surprises, both good and bad. Now any event can be tough to get to go as planned, but a wedding just ups the stress level to make that happen as well as the number of things that can go differently (read wrong from a brides point of view).

Here is a story of one wedding that went very well and was by all accounts quite cost efficient by wedding standards without sacrificing anything but volumes of people. It is hard to understand the complexities of planning a wedding and the amount of work that goes into it unless you have been intimately involved in doing it. This one was well executed, being well planned and with great help from friends and awesome vendor partners went off without a hitch. The ceremony was even broadcast live to Australia.

Decide on your venues early. Six months is probably too late. At twelve months out try to at least have it narrowed down to your top two or three and decide as quick as you can.

After looking at dozens of options one place kept coming up in conversation. For this destination wedding in Monterey California The Old Monterey Inn was chosen for the wedding and a place for family to stay. To say the folks at the Old Monterey Inn took care of us would be an understatement. The staff was always close by to take care of every request.
The Old Monterey Inn was built by Carmel Martin Sr. who was instrumental in the creation of the city and preserving many of the historical sites open to the public today. It was here, in this house, Mr. Martin planned for and dreamed of his beloved Monterey. The Inn was completed in 1929. The home sits in the middle of beautifully landscaped gardens boasting some 100 trees, which include Monterey Pines, California Oaks and tall Redwoods. Beautiful stonework of which a lot of the original stonework still remains.
After being thoughtfully restored in every detail, including the Martin’s prized gardens the house was opened as a bed and breakfast inn in 1978 and has been owned by Lawrence Havlick for the last few years.

With just over an acre of lovely serenity with an enchanting landscaped garden that is perfect for a stroll down its pathways. Age old oaks, majestic cedars, and large holly trees, sculpted landscaping and roses keep you company as you stroll around or settle in to a secluded spot with a glass of wine (or beverage of choice) in this fairytale setting.

Its nice to have some options and whether you are imagining a private elopement in Monterey for just the two of you, or a small wedding with up to 40 family members and friends, this romantic Monterey bed and breakfast is a wonderful place to create your special experience. Every room and suite at the Old Monterey Inn is designed to enhance the charm, sophistication, and architectural significance of this beautifully maintained English Tudor mansion.

The rooms all offer a private bath with the high quality amenities including specialty lavender soaps and Aveda® products. In addition, each room and suite provides a cozy sitting area next to a private fireplace, complete with candles to create your own romantic oasis. With plush feather beds and down duvets and superb quality linens, soft terry lined robes and slippers, perfumed bath salts, thick towels and current magazines it truly is a luxury experience!

Start each day with a rich aromatic coffee (from a local roasting company!), hot chocolate, or an assortment of gourmet teas. Breakfast consists of a wonderful variety of fruit courses, using the freshest locally grown fruit available, and continues on to the much anticipated main entrée! You can even have breakfast in your comfy room or out in the beautiful gardens if you choose. The amazing setting of the spectacular period dining room is hard to beat.
The staff are attentive and there to take care of your every need and yet never hover. From the beautiful serene gardens to the comfy and luxurious rooms, the wonderful breakfast and the wine and cheese in the early evening this is a special place that will have you coming back every anniversary for the rest of your life.

Just a thought. You could just go with your significant other and or friends for a getaway of special significance. No matter the reason this is the perfect place and we say you "must go" stay here for a Monterey destination wedding or special getaway. Tell em we sent you.

Happy Wine Adventures,

Cheers,
 

WineWalkabout

 

 

#WW 2012 Wrath Pinot Noir, McIntyre Vineyard

There are a lot of wineries to keep up with tasting the new releases. We do our best but time is not on our side. Some times it is also too easy to go back to our favorites. One of those is Wrath in Monterey County. There is good reason for Wrath being a favorite and that is for a number of years they have consistently make some wonderful wines. On this particular visit while tasting some new releases this one just could not be ignored. The 2012 Wrath Pinot Noir, McIntyre Vineyard.

Set in amongst a number of really good wines it was just seducing to the palate. With a most amazing soft warm mouth feel that is full of interesting and enticing flavors this is one sexy Pinot Noir. With enticing lavender nose and delicious dark berry and cherry filling the palate it has an engaging and long finish. This is a Pinot to be reckoned with and so few cases made you had better get to the tasting room near you or get online and get some.

A *** priced wine we rate a solid 8 and one any Pinot fan should get a taste of.

Here is what Wrath has to say about it; Wines made from master-grower Steve McIntyre’s vineyard often exhibit the telltale characteristics of Santa Lucia Highland terroir.  Our 2012 McIntyre Vineyard Pinot Noir—with its vivid fruit and briary undertones is no exception.   Comprised of 100 percent 115 clone and made with 20 percent whole- cluster fermentation, it combines lavender notes with wild berry, black cherry in an energetic blend characterized by bright acidity and purity of fruit. The palate is expansive with a long, fruit-driven finish.

Wine Specs

Vintage   2012

Varietal   Pinot Noir

Appellation   Santa Lucia Highlands

Vineyard Designation   McIntyre Vineyard

Alcohol %   14.1

Wine Enthusiast magazine, June 2015

Rating 95 pts

 

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, October 2014
Rating 92 pts

 

Apparently we enjoyed it a bit more than Mr Parker and about the same as our enthusiastic friends not that that would change our opinion. Winemaker Sabrine Rodems consistently makes very good wine and this is just another great example of her work.

 

So seek out this Wrath wine as it is special and with only 257 cases made it wont be available for very long once word gets out.

 

Happy Wine Adventures,

Cheers,
 

WineWalkabout

Wrath wines are available for purchase and tasting at both tasting rooms so tell em we sent you...

Winery Tasting Room

Open Fri-Mon  11- 5PM. Located at 35801 Foothill Road (at the junction of River Road) in Soledad, CA, 5 minutes west of Hwy 101.  831.678.2212

Carmel Tasting Room

Open Mon-Sat 11-6PM Sun 11-5PM. Located in Carmel Plaza, downtown Carmel at the corner of Ocean Ave. and Mission St., ground floor.  831.620.1909

#WW A Riesling worth drinking from Joyce Vineyards, California

When discussing wines it is always amazing that rarely if ever does the varietal Riesling get talked about, at least in the USA. While a number of vintners make a Riesling, most average, but they are generally very well priced there is surprisingly little interest in it. In Germany and Austria it is one of the top varieties grown and in Australia, specifically Clare Valley and Eden Valleys of South Australia it is a very sort after tipple. Riesling was estimated to be the world's 20th most grown variety.

So this begs the question of why this simply delightful wine is not more popular in the USA. Well someone smarter than us will need to figure that out as we continue to go taste and enjoy good Rieslings wherever we find them. One such great find is from a small family owned winery in Carmel Valley California. Joyce Vineyards is gaining a reputation for lovely wines. With a great portfolio of wines from sub $20 to some superb special releases there really is something for everyone.

Having enjoyed the 2012 Riesling previously we were drawn back when the rumor mill started talking of this vintages great Riesling. Not ones to shy away from the work of tasting and telling we were on it.

The Joyce 2014 Riesling from the Tondre Grapefield in the world renown Santa Lucia Highlands is a cracker! Purely and simply delightful. Here is how it went. Step one, went in for a taste. Yum (full tasting notes later). Continued tasting the new releases. Some more Yum's. When leaving realized that the notes were limited as too much focus was on the tasting and talking to the lovely tasting room staff. Then a brilliant plan was born, purchase two bottles to take away to taste privately and do an assessment, that'll do the trick.

First bottle; sat down to taste and write a review and got side tracked by emails and dinner activity and then noticed the bottle was empty. Notes were non existent but the one sure thing was that it was very much enjoyed.

The second bottle was taken along for a big event weekend and it was used to share and check the responses to the neophytes that usually just go for Chardonnay or Cabernet / Merlot (older crowd). The 2014 Joyce Riesling was well received with most wanting more. Which by the way was not forthcoming as there was still the tasting review to do. Next morning (11am) something delightful was called for to calm some nerves and well, yeah you guessed it, I knocked off the last two glasses. Oops!

What is remembered is the lovely balance and ease of drinking (whole bottle consumed and looking for more) and that clean mouth feel. With tart pear and a slightly sweet tart apple (trust us on this) as well as citrus notes and flavors and a subtle and enticing honeysuckle. With a nicely balanced acidity this wine keeps you coming back for more.

Serve this Riesling a little warmer than would be typical at about 54 deg F. This allows for all those delicious flavors to come out to play.

A **** priced wine that falls on the scale at 7-8. This is a wine that you can serve with confidence to any wine drinker. The perfect afternoon (late am) evening tipple to start the party whether it be a casual BBQ or a swank soiree, this is it!

Head on over to Joyce Vineyards tasting room and get some for yourself or order some wine online.
Tell the good folks there we sent you. While you are there tasting maybe you will see us there getting some more of this lovely Riesling.


Happy Wine Adventures,

Cheers,
 

WineWalkabout

Joyce Vineyards Tasting Room

19 East Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley, CA
11:30am – 5:00pm 7 days a week.
Phone: (831) 659-2885
Fax: (831) 659-2885
Email: info@joycevineyards.com

Lets talk plonk, cheap plonk!

Some of you just started paying attention because we said cheap. Just like someone who shall remain nameless's father, if its cheap and there is a lot of it, it must be good! Well we are here to tell you that is not the case. Not only is it not the case, but playing into the super discount may even hurt the industry. There is even some treachery and skullduggery at play.

As an example of the treachery that awaits you in discount wine land is from a time spent working at a supermarket. We are marking up prices, it must be Monday. We are discounting the stuff on the shelves, it must be Thursday (still priced higher than last Sunday) but people are only comparing the current prices to the last marked price.
That's just one scenario that is used in discount world.

One of the more despicable ones is the 'Premium or Reserve' insert wine variety 'here' close out or stock clearance scam. What, a wine scam you scream! Yes, sort of. The grocery store shelf "premium Wine' that has been discounted more than 60% is likely a scam. It is generally not a recognizable label although you feel like it is (similar to a big recognizable one) it has a suggested retail price of $29.99 but now, wait for it, is on sale for $9.99! Mind you, no bottle of this wine has ever sold for more than $9.99. Its the old fake or never actually sold for suggested retail price now discounted price scam.

One of the biggest shifty situations that we see a lot at some of the big box store places that is super sketchy is the misdirection on the shelf tag that says 92 points from wine Critic 'muay importante vino guy'. Upon closer inspection the year is not the same. Its the 2008 that got 92 points not the 2011 that is currently for sale that was either poorly rated or not rated at all.

While on the subject of 'cheap plonk' there are also all the current drama headlines about arsenic in the cheap plonk! Get over it! You couldn't drink enough to have a negative affect before your liver gave out from overwork.

But we are of on a tangent. Look there is kind of a minimum just to make a drinkable bottle of wine and lets face it an enjoyable bottle is much better than a barely drinkable one is and its not much more money. By buying at a reasonable price your favorite producer may also be able to make enough profit to stay around to continue making your favorite plonk.

Happy Wine Adventures,

Cheers,
 

WineWalkabout

The costs of a bottle of wine.

We hear this a lot. No wine is worth that much. I would not pay more than this much. That is ridiculous to pay that much. No wine should cost more than that much. Mostly all by folks who don't own a vineyard or make and sell wine. Now that's not to say there is no merit in what they are saying but there is a lot more to making wine and the costs associated with it than most people have any clue about when making these sweeping judgmental statements. As you will see there are a lot of variables to the cost and not all have to do with good wine.

Lets start by looking at one end of the market (upper middle). Napa Valley gets approximately $300,000.00 per acre for a decent vineyard. On top of that the price per ton of that famous Cabernet Sauvignon is around $5,000.00 and can at times go even higher. Then there is the issue of yield. Most vineyards used for good to premium wines could yield much more than they do but low yield vines are considered to produce wines of better and more concentrated flavors. Napa Cabernets are pruned to average approximately 3 tons per acre. So at 3 tons per acre for an investment of $300,000 that's a long payback. Next up is the cost to run the vineyard. Is the vineyard on a hill or on the flat and can it have machines do most of the work or based on vineyard practices of choice is it all done by hand? Asking around it seems using an annual median cost of $7,500.00 per acre for labor, benefits, depreciation, taxes, materials, fuel and maintenance, utilities, licenses and fees is close enough for this exercise.

Next up is free run versus second press juice. Each grape has a limited amount of juice in it. When the skin is broken, some of the juice will flow out. If you squeeze the grape a little, more juice flows out. And if you squeeze the grape hard, nearly all the juice flows out. Is this juice all the same? No way. Juice that comes out from light pressing or the earliest part of the crush will be cleaner, fresher, more delicate and more aromatic than juice that was squeezed to death and extracts bitter oils from the seeds and skins. Of course, less juice means there are fewer bottles of wine to pay for the winery’s operation, again affecting the price of a bottle.

Wine can be fermented in stainless steel, plastic, glass, concrete, clay or wooden barrels. The wine can also then be aged in any of these. Fermenting or aging the wine in oak barrels adds flavors of spice, vanilla, toast, caramel, as well as changing the tannins and color. Oak can make for some delicious wine, but it is very expensive. A new French oak barrel can cost over $1,000, which adds about $2.50 to each bottle of wine. When you add in the extra labor that barrels require (topping up every week for months or years, racking, storing) this can add up to over $5.00 per bottle. An 8,000 liter stainless steel tank starts at $9,000.00 and as you add features like a door, $1,000.00 or cooling jacket $2,500.00 and the list goes on.
Standard grape crusher destemmer with full or partial destemming, full, partial or no crushing, for high quality wine start about $20,000.00 and up to well above $75,000.00. Now throw in conveyors, sorting tables and all the pumps, hoses, stainless steel fittings and miscellaneous equipment for another $100,000.00 and you have a median setup. Median you say, yes median. We have not yet added bottling lines at around $40,000.00 and optical sorters that can cost in excess of $150,000.00.
One thing most people don't think of as a cost factor is ageing. Not all wine gets better with age. Most wines, in fact, are most enjoyable the day you buy them. Some wines, however, can mature and develop interesting flavors with time. But aging wines isn’t free. The winery must build storage space with proper temperature, hire people to manage the aging wine, and postpone sales by keeping their product tucked away in hiding for years.

Add to all this the cost of glass (the bottles), labels, closures and caps and you have a million variables to factor in.

A standard Bordeaux bottle can cost as little as $0.50 and as much as $5.00 (some specialty outside this range) The cost for the total bottle package is between $2.00 and $10 roughly.

Lastly (at least for this article) is the cost of advertising and selling and distribution and tax's. Tax in California is a small percentage but some places like England it is 70% of the cost of a cheaper bottle.

So there you have about most of the hard cost of what goes into a bottle of good wine. Our brains are tired and we need a drink, so add up the numbers and let us know what a good bottle of wine should cost.

Maybe this is an easier way to put a rule of thumb to it. Grapes, including the labor involved in growing and harvesting them, are usually a winery's biggest single cost and up to 60 percent of the production expenses in California, and frequently the most variable one from high-end to low-end wine.
One common formula wineries use for pricing estimates, is that a bottle of wine should cost 1/100th of the price of a ton of grapes. For example, a winery that paid $4,000 for a ton of Cabernet fruit would charge $40 for a bottle of Cabernet, implementing this formula. Of course this does not really take into account the three tier system for the distribution and selling of wine.

Now that all our brains are aching lets look at the fact that a bottle of wine is worth what the consumer is willing to pay. Whether its a $20 bottle or a $600 bottle, if someone is willing to buy it then that's what it is worth at that moment.

Yes its true that some wines are sold at prices that far exceed the cost but as long as they can sell that wine at those prices then who are we to say its not worth it,. The market obviously disagrees with us.  There is also the exclusive nature of a premium or limited release that someone in the back room decides what they think it could be worth. Again if it sells then they were right.

So back to the original question, 'how much should a bottle of wine cost?' We like the 1/100th concept but as you can see there are variables can override that and of course the marketing department will make the call no matter what we think. 

We think that whatever you are willing to pay is the price that is best (for you). Lets face it. Someone who earns a couple million dollars a year has a different threshold than the rest of us wage earners so just know that good wine is made in all kinds of price ranges and the $45 bottle can be every bit as good and score just as many points as a $600 bottle. So enjoy what you want and sneak a cheeky taste of the more expensive ones when you can just because you can.

Happy Wine Adventures,

Cheers,

WineWalkabout