FOOD NEWS
It's Crucial To Remember The Price Of Wine Doesn't Always Reflect Quality
BY BRIAN UDALL
A test published in the Journal of Wine Economics has shown that taste testers prefer cheaper wines compared to more expensive ones, but only when the wines were tasted blind.
When these 6,000 taste tasters were told the price of the wines before tasting them, they preferred the more expensive ones. Wine marketers use this psychology to their advantage.
Many companies sell average-quality wines for premium prices to create buzz, so it's better to use your own preferences and research instead of always buying pricey bottles.
Keep a wine journal to track what types of wine you like. Try researching your favorites and tasting wines from the same vineyard or vineyards within the same region.
The soil in which the wine grapes are grown, called the terroir, has an outsized impact on the wine's flavor, so if you like one wine from a certain area, you may like others.
You can also check the label to determine wine quality. Wine that lists the grape varietals it's made with is likely crafted with more care than a bottle labeled "red blend."
You can also look for wine appellations on the bottle, which indicate that the grapes were grown following regionally specific quality controls and standards.