Is it worth it?

Believe it or not, this is one of the most frequent questions we get in our day-to-day work as wine professionals. As most wine shops do, we have bottles from under $10 all the way up to prices we don't talk about much; but let's just say they have both a comma and a decimal point in the price. That is the nature of the wine business, there is something made for every palate preference and every budget requirement.

Wineries also tend to focus on certain categories, more based on price than grape varietal. While you will find wineries that will have an entry level more gently priced brand or label and also carry things that are a bit more expensive, it is unusual to find a winery with prices in both the teens and the hundreds. After all, if you are known for producing a hugely popular red blend at $15 or under, it is a tough marketing proposition to have another wine that sells for multiple hundreds and be able to convince consumers that the "big dog" bottle is worth it.

Independent of winery focus and wine value, the question remains: are these super high dollar wines worth it? Can wine X really be worth 20 or 30 times more than wine Y? Like most everything in the wine world, this comes down to each consumer's tastes and budget. It is only worth it if you enjoy it and see the value, regardless of the price, in what you paid.

Objectively though, when tasting a specific wine that retails well above our normal budget, there are several factors to think about. Many of us have different budget points we keep in our collections. We have our every day drinkers that may be more value-oriented, the "Tuesday night pizza" wines, if you will. We also keep some more expensive bottles around, whether it is for a special occasion or a special guest, we want to have something a bit better or even a bit more impressive around to pull out of the wine rack.

In the "stack" of wines we taste through each week, we taste through the full price spectrum, although the super-expensive ones show up more rarely, and the super-super-expensive ones almost never show up. We still find opportunities to taste them. What is different that goes into a bottle that retails for multiple hundreds? First, at the farming level crop loads are kept very low, concentrating the energy and all the vine produces into a smaller number of grape bunches. This is more expensive, as you have less fruit to work with. Also, vineyards where the grapes are grown for the super high-end wines are meticulously farmed. Few chemicals are used; each vine is hand-tended for fruit load, canopy management, and weed and pest protection - all of the things that must be done throughout the growing year.

Supply and demand is a huge part of the pricing equation. For the highest of the high-end wines, once they have built a reputation and accolades on just how good their wine is, they will typically not increase production. More collectors chasing the same amount of wine makes the "buzz" increase and the prices follow.

Like all products, though, out of all the wines priced from $100 to over $1,000 that we have tasted in our careers, some are worth it to us and others not. Much of this comes down to taste, and the knowledge of what goes into each wine and how much is made. We can objectively evaluate that the wine is very well made in limited quantities and it is in fact worth it; but the ones that are really worth it to us to pay a big price for come down to what we really love to drink.

Almost all of us will have a special occasion to celebrate, or a special someone we want to share a truly extraordinary bottle with. What we are willing to spend on that bottle is different for each of us. The easiest way to get just the right one is to talk to your favorite wine professional, or stop by the shop and talk to us about what your special budget is and what you love to drink. Our job is to make sure the answer to the question is "Yes, it is definitely worth it!"

If there is a topic you would like to read about, or if you have questions on wine, you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com, or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party, a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George has also worked as a judge in many wine competitions. His articles are published around the country and is the wine editor for Coeur d'Alene Magazine (www.cdamagazine.com). You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. You can get all of these articles, as well as other great wine tips, by friending us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#/dinnerpartyshop.