Are There Two Reasons Most Rich People Dont Buy Expensive Wine
Rod asked the restaurant server if he could speak to their sommelier about a specific bottle of wine. The expert arrived, explained the vineyard it came from, an award it had won and the subtle flavor Rod could expect. Then she poured a small amount into his glass. He swirled it around, sniffed it and sipped a sample from this $300 bottle.
This is fabulous, Rod said, before echoing the subtle flavors the sommelier described. Well take a bottle, thank you.
Rod isnt rich. However, he earns a high salary and he and his wife drive new Mercedes Benzes. They own an expensive home. But they spend most of what they make. In that sense, they match the profile of most expensive wine purchasers that Thomas Stanley described in his book, Stop Acting Rich. His research showed that most wealthy people dont buy expensive wine. Most high-priced wine drinkers are more like Rod. Dr. Stanley described them as having, Big hat, No cattle.
But if, as Rod says, high-priced wine truly tastes better, why not splurge? A logical answer might be more nuanced than you think. Based on several studies, most people dont prefer the taste of high-priced wineunless they believe the wine is expensive. In other words, were easily tricked.
But today hes in prison, serving a ten-year term for fraud.
Note: To protect his privacy, I changed Rods name
Domaine De La Romanee
Next on the list of the most expensive wines in the world is the Romanee-Conti Romanee-Conti Grand Cru 1990.
A bottle of this vintage red will cost you $21,200, but according to experts, its well worth the investment.
1990 produced a fantastic wine, due to a well-balanced harvest, rich in plentiful healthy grapes.
Demographics And Wine Selections
If your store is located in an area where the demographics are not likely to have shoppers interested in gourmet food and fine wine, the wine department is expected to be meager. I have three Costco stores within easy driving distance. The Foster City store, though not nearly as good as the big three, has a far better wine inventory than many of the other Costco stores in Northern California.
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Penfolds Grange Hermitage 1951$38420
The most expensive Australian wine, Penfolds Grange Hermitage 1951 set the record when a wine collector in May 2004 bought it in an auction at MW Wines in Adelaide, South Australia. Only twenty bottles are known in existence.
The wine is predominantly Shiraz with a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon and regarded as one of Australias finest wines.
Less Expensive Than Cellars And Refrigerators
Moving along, the wine cooler is very inexpensive compared to either a refrigerator or a wine cellar.
- Because the equipment is solely built for the purpose of cooling the bottles of wine, there is lesser adaptability and therefore, the cost to produce these wine coolers is lower.
- Refrigerators and wine cellars are a great amount larger than a cooler, so the consumer is paying for their size, capacity and adaptability functions.
- Basically, the wine cooler is the better buy because, as it will be said later, there are other uses besides storing wine that it can perform.
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Ampoule From Penfolds $168000
Each one of these extraordinary bottles of wine costs $168,000.
Released by South Australias most famous winery, Penfolds, the wine does not have much of history, instead, it relies on the experience, presentation and reputation of the brand.
Tasting the wine is meant to be an experience in itself, as you have to break off a small piece of wood before you even begin to get to the wine.
Best Value French: Chne Bleu Ablard 2011
Region: Rhône Valley | ABV: 14.5% | Tasting Notes: Black cherry, Red licorice, Earth, Warm cinnamon
From an ancient property at the cornerstone of four appellations in Frances Southern Rhône, near the town of Gigondas and situated in Mont Ventoux, comes this absolute marvel of a wine. Owners Nicole and Xavier Rolet are incapable of making a bad wine, and incredibly, they’ve taken the extraordinary step of aging their wine for a generous amount of time prior to release. The vintage they currently have on the market is the 2012, but its terribly hard to find. Luckily, the 2011 is up for grabs: A decade-aged Rhône red consisting mostly of grenache, it is a testament to the efforts of these renegade vintners.
Wild red berry fruit, blackberry jam, French vanilla bean and garrigue layered with cigar box spices. Silky soft, elongated tannins support a panoply of flavors, from warm cinnamon and brown sugar spices to curry powder-dusted red berry fruit, with generous dollops of black cherry and red licorice. It finishes with grippy acidity and vivid earthy notes.
Region: Douro, Portugal | ABV: 13.8% | Tasting Notes: Cranberry, Raspberry, Blood Orange, Cedar
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Best Organic: Larkmead 2016 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Napa Valley, California | ABV: 14.7% | Tasting Notes: Dark fruit, Tobacco, Fresh-turned earth, Dark chocolate
This winery, under the watch of winemaker Dan Petroski, doesn’t just focus on making world-class wine. Petroski helps shed light on the necessary work for studying climate change, and in 2015, Larkmead converted to organic farming practices.
Cabernet collectors should stockpile wines from the 2016 vintage, which are high in naturally vibrant acidity due to a moderate growing season. Hallmark signifiers are deep, dark fruit and a distinct freshness, all of which the 2016 Larkmead has in spades. Adding to that are incredibly alluring brown spices, fresh-turned earth and tobacco wrapped in dark chocolate, with mouthwatering purple violet notes and firm, dusty tannins.
This is a wine to contemplate over many hoursand, ideally, over the next decade, with a bottle or two every year.
Region: Carneros, California | ABV: 14.5% | Tasting Notes: Red cherries, Bramble, Brown spices
Proprietor Rich Frank, a former Disney executive, bought his eponymous winery in 1992 and released his first wine a year later.
This 2018 release is a full-bodied pinot noir with lively red fruits, deep concentration, firm acidity and sturdy tannins, which will help it develop over a few decades in a cool, dark cellar.
Good to Know:
Good to Know:
Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru 2012 $14450
Described as a magical and sumptuous wine, the Grand Cru has a flowery taste and a gentle, silky texture.
If we were to sell the wine based on the states reputation alone, then its without a doubt worth every drop.
However, the hot tail-end of the summer in 2012 provided this wine with robustness like no other, so it can demand such a high price.
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Why I No Longer Buy Expensive Wine
Recently, I did something that I have done exceedingly rarely in my wine-buying life: I sold some wine. Now for some wine drinkers, buying and selling wine is normal. A lot of Bordeaux buyers engage in this as a matter of course.
But thats never been the way for me. Over decades Ive lovinglyand occasionally expensivelybuilt a wine collection that has given me daily satisfaction. Until now, it never occurred to me to sell. Quite the opposite: It always occurred to me to buy. Ive always loved buying wine. Selling them was unthinkable. I wanted to marry these wines, not just have a little fling, only to toss them aside for a new fancy.
So why then am I now selling wine? Its not because of the money, although thats always nice to have. Like everyone else, I can always use a little spare change.
I should mention that the wines I sold were among the most expensive in my cellar, rarities that truthfully I could barely afford to buy, but I could not bring myself to resist. They were among the greatest wines in my cellar.
So why did I sell? The answer lies in a single word: surprise.
Perhaps its a stage in a long wine life, but what I now seek from wine, more than anything else, is the element of surprise. The novelist Henry James captured this perfectly: There are two kinds of taste, the taste for emotions of surprise and the taste for emotions of recognition.
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Most Expensive Wines In The World 2021
Dinners and classical events are where some of the most wealthy and renowned individuals show up, and surely, it has to be classified.
Most times, people go all the way in setting up the center to look as good as possible, however, we all know that what matters most is the wine.
The most expensive wines come with exquisite taste that could easily set the tone and also sustain it throughout an event.
This is why you have to ensure you get it right, although it may not be cheap. In the end, its well worth it.
This article has made it easier for you by compiling a list of the top 10 most expensive wines on the market currently.
This is because the most expensive wines are always the most exquisite and best around. These wines are grown in vineyards, in a well-cultured environment, and from high-quality produce.
Although the expensive wines may not always taste better to the layman, it certainly is distinguishable by the elite. Now, lets get down to business.
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The Worlds Most Expensive Wines And What They Have In Common
Some of the most expensive wines ever, mostly from France. Which will come next?
Hi, everyone, how do you do?
Im Breno, coming back with some curiosities you might enjoy about the worlds most expensive wines ever sold and the most sought-after on the market.
After all, fine and rare wines and their investment side are what we do best, right?
I had briefly talked about this in an earlier in this post on fun facts about the wine world, but decided to push it further.
* * *
What do the most expensive wines have in common?, some might ask.
Well, to be honest, there arent so many common traits between them, apart from the well-known notion that the French regions of Burgundy and Bordeaux command the highest prices. But there are some interesting points youll find interesting here.
To get it started, lets define which are the most expensive wines in the world .
Below are the most expensive wines ever sold at auction excluding, for example, bottles based on their historical value such as the French ones owned by an early famed American oenophile: founding father and former president Thomas Jefferson.
The Most Expensive Wines In The World
1945 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti Grand Cru
Burgundy
US$ 558,000
In 2018, an auction at Sothebys broke every possible record with bottles of the ultra-rare 1945 vintage of this Burgundy. The highest bid for its bottle fetched 17 times more expensive than the auctioneers upper estimate of $32,000. Minutes later, a second bottle of the same vintage was sold for $496,000. And then three bottles of the 1937 vintage were sold for $310,000 each.
Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 1992
Napa Valley, California
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Most Expensive Bottles Of Wine You Can Buy
| Stuff
Non-vintage or N.V. wines are considered good values and good-tasting theyre what most of us drink all the time. But thats not how you rack up an insane price tag. The prices of certain vintages, which can soar to hundreds of thousands of dollars, represent the ultimate luxury. Where would a top-tier restaurant, million-dollar sitting room, or celebrity auction be without at least one ultra-rare bottle of vintage wine?
High vintage prices can be caused by many factors other than taste and quality. Overcast weather during harvest season can cause under-ripened grapes while hot conditions can cause the grapes to rasinate, which is exactly what it sounds like .
As a result of such conditions, many of these vintages were produced in a low amount and have become insanely expensive. Here are the 8 most expensive wine bottles in the world.
Expensive Wine For The Wealthy And Wannabe
F& Ws Ray Isle explores the world of shockingly expensive wines and suggests some affordable alternatives.
Everyone who gets into wine eventually feels an itch to drink a truly great bottle. But theres a big price difference between a 2005 Château Pétrus for about $4,000 and a 2005 Vieux Château Certan for $200. With that in mind, heres my list of truly great wines that are all less than $250not cheap by any means, but at least in the realm of super-duper-special-occasion rather than holy-Moses-I-cant-breathe. For fun, theres also a map of the worlds most expensive wines, as well as a glance into the diamond-encrusted world of wine bling.
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Chateau Cheval Blanc 1947 192000
One of the original two St Emilion Grand Cru Classe A estates, Chateau Cheval Blanc is owned by brand goliath, LVMH which is also the proprietor of Sauternes leading estate, Chateau dYquem. A 12 x 75cl case of the same legendary 1947 vintage sold for £168,000 in 2017, establishing it as Bordeauxs most expensive fine wine on record to date.
The Big Downside Of Costco
Do not rely on any Costco worker to advise you on any of the wines on the shelf. They are not the wine buyers, and more than likely have tasted very few of these wines if any. Most of the time I dont see any Costco worker near the wine shelves to help if I need it. Thats why you pay more at a fine wine shop, where you get kind, honest, and reliable advice. At Costco, you must fend for yourself on wine decisions. Another downside is, like many other products at Costco, the fantastic deals move fast and you are unlikely to see that item again once sold out. He who hesitates is lost.
Note: Clarification as of January 2, 2015. It seems that Costco is moving towards having a wine steward roaming the wine section. I have seen this at the S.S.F. Airport Costco and the Redwood City Costco. These folks can recommend wines to the average wine consumer with some degree of expertise. They seem to be present on weekends but not always during the weekdays.
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Expensive Wine Vs Cheap Whats The Verdict
There are plenty of fantastic wines to be had that wont break the bank. In fact, a studyof 6,000 blind tastings from the Journal of Wine Economics found that there wasnt that significant a relationship between high prices and wine ratings, and that most people actually enjoy really expensive wines slightly less.
Weve referred to this quote from Jancis Robinson before, but it bears repeating when were thinking about how much wine costs:
Far too many wines are clearly priced by marketing people, or those keen to develop or protect a reputation, rather than by wine lovers.
With Janciss caveat in mind, hopefully youve got a better idea of what goes into a bottle of wine, and what drives higher prices. Sometimes its quality, sometimes its rarity it could be technique and sometimes its all of the above.
Cheap Wine Vs Expensive Wine: Which Is Better
You want to buy a bottle, but you dont want to shell out the big bucks so whats the deal with those wines on the bottom shelf? Are they really that bad?
From a safety standpoint, cheap wines are completely fine to drink. Its the flavor profile in these bottles that might make you want to think twice before buying. After all, a bad wine is still a waste of money, even if its $5! But that doesnt mean all cheap wines are bad, and sometimes it might not matter at all.
Know when to splurge and when to save with these wine buying tips.
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Domaine Leroy Chambertin Grand Cru 1990 $7447
The estate is a solid brand in the most expensive wine space. A little pricier than its 1949, the the 1990 is harvested from the exclusive Pinot Noir vineyards of Chambertin Grand Cru.
Domaine Leroys reds are regarded for its deep scent of red cherries, plums, earth and sweet spice. Adding more vintage air to this wine, Napoleon is known to drink Chambertin wine, favoring its rich ruby hue not unlike what you get from the 1990 vintage.
The estate also produces regular vintage for $4,288 with production around 900 bottles per year.
Approach Sales And Discounts With Caution
There’s usually a reason things are on sale: They didn’t sell at full price. While you can find some good bargains in the discount bin, be careful about buying whites or rosés that are more than a few years old.
One deal you can take advantage of without any worries: case discounts. These tend to offer 10% to 15% off a dozen bottles, so you can stock up by mixing and matching your favorites, as well as a new bottle or two. “That adds up,” Isle says.
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Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon
photo source: Wine
The Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon was produced in Oakville, California in 1992. In 2000, it sold at a charity auction for $500,000, making it the most expensive wine sold up to that time due to its rare production year.
This wine was unfiltered, aged in 60% new oak, and bottled in incredibly limited quantities. The wine has a deep purple color and has a taste of blackcurrant and toasted oak. The aromatics of sweet, creamy currant and rich tannins make the Screaming Eagle a mind-blowing flavor experience, even beyond the naturally coveted bottles.
