An expensive label doesn't always guarantee the quality of the wine.
Sponsored by Patrizio Osteria
Written by Ken Kuczwaj, GeneralbrManager Patrizio Osteria
Here is one of my pet peeves in wine:brThe wine prices of the major labels versus the quality of the juice. As abrcollector and consumer of fine vino since 1986, I have witnessed many changesbrin the Napa and Sonoma wine scene. Most major labels have not been great —brJordan, Silver Oak, Cakebread, Groth , Berringer and Beaulieu Vineyards arebramong the biggest offenders of price increases and the quality of the productbrgoing down. As these major wineries get to sell into major supermarkets likebrCostco, they are under pressure to source more and more fruit, furtherbrdenigrating its quality control and, quite frankly, making sub-par wine for thebrmoney.
In one famous tasting at thebrrestaurant, which I always do blind so I'm not prejudiced by labels, I told abrwinery rep that a bottle was $30. In fact, it was $300, and the rep was highlybrinsulted. I have tasted a lot of wine in the past 27 years, and this was not better than the $30 merlot frombrPlumpjack, Shafer or Darioush. Just because they put some superstar winemaker’sbrname on the bottle does not mean they can get away with that — not with thisbrwine czar!
The good news is that many ‘'oldbrschool” wineries still produce great juice at good prices. Chimney Rock, Closbrdu Val, Clos DuBois, Caymus, Chalk Hill and Sequoia Grove are just a few thatbrcome to mind. Make sure to check out second labels, wines made from surplus grapesbrthat have similar quality but are less expensive than primary labels. For example, Faust is one of my favorites. Inbr2007 and 2008, most of the Mondavi Napa priced around $18 was 35 percent leftoverbrreserve juice, which sells for more than $100 a bottle. Liberty School from thebrCaymus family is outstanding, as is their Pinot Noir Meomi from the Belle Glosbrcollection.
Just remember: Don't get sucked intobrthe major labels. Try some new wines, especially from smaller regions like Lodibrand Paso Robles where the value is phenomenal. If you have any questions, comebrsee me at Patrizio Osteria, and I will turn you on to a few of my favoritebrselections.
Happy imbibing,
Ken…aka…The Wine Czar
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