Drink What You Like: Price Does Not Equal Quality!

One of the underlying assumptions of this site is that price is not a good determinative of quality when it comes to wine, so I always love articles like the following. While these wines are still a little more than $20 per bottle, when you have a wine that costs almost 70 times(!) more than another rating below said wine, I think the point is made.

A bottle of New Zealand pinot noir edged out several high-profile French and Californian wines to take the top spot in a recent blind tasting. Talk about bottle shock.

Proving that price is no guaranteed determiner of quality, an $80 bottle of 1998 Martinborough Vineyard Reserve beat 19 other wines, including a $5,500 bottle of 1990 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tache, to take first place at the “World’s Top 20 Pinot Noirs.” We have no proof that these are, in fact, the world’s top 20 pinot noirs, but the blind tasting held Tuesday night at Red White + Bluezz in Pasadena, should earn New Zealand pinots more respect.

In addition to two New Zealand wines, the international field included wines from California, Oregon, Australia, Germany and, naturally, France. Pinot noirs from Burgundy placed well, with three wines in the top five including a 1996 Mortet Clos Vougeot ($190) and a 1996 Hudelot-Noelle Richebourg ($440). The top California Pinot, a $250 bottle of 1991 Williams Selyem Rochioli, placed seventh.

This article is also evidence that all wine reviews are just opinions and not everyone has the same taste, so when it comes to wine, explore and discover what you like best. The exploration is most of the fun, especially when you find a great wine completely on your own. So drink what you like and don’t worry about the price or what anyone else thinks!

Check out the Interactive Wine Rating Chart to find all my reviews! You can sort by type of wine, cost, rating, etc. in the interactive spreadsheet.