The readers always write:
Dear Robert,
I mentioned to a local wine (merchant) that I tend to choose California wine over Australian ones to support our local folks. He felt strongly that California wines have priced themselves out of reach and the Down Under products were much better values. Agree?
Also, I just read your “Don’t judge a wine by its price tag” article. I wonder how many of your readers are like us. We are pretty well off and enjoy wine daily with our dinner. During the week we typically have $10 or less (wines) and on Sunday something in the $15 to $25 range. I appreciate we are limiting our experiences both in taste and choice, but the values are generally quite good and I have a hard time justifying routinely spending even $35 for a bottle, let alone $100.
Don Hewitt
Dear Don,
There is little question that Australia has the upper hand when it comes to wine value. That may seem surprising to some given what must be enormous costs to ship wines from Australia to market in the United States, but there are many factors that come into play. First, there is the exchange rate, which favors the U.S. dollar, though not to the extent it once did.
Second, there is the cost of land. A planted acre of Cabernet in one of the prime growing regions of California will cost significantly more than a comparable vineyard in the better growing regions of Australia.
Finally, there is mechanization. Australia’s vintners, due to their country’s small population, have embraced mechanical harvesting as well as other mechanized vineyard and winery tasks that limit the cost of labor.
As for your wine purchasing habits, I believe they are fairly typical. It’s safe to say there are many more wine enthusiasts at the $10 to $15 level than there are at the $100 level. We are fortunate to live in an age when wineries are willing and able to deliver a good product at those modest price points.
Of course, the less expensive wines tend to be produced on a massive scale and lack the unique personality of many of the higher priced wines, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t frequently delicious.
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