Do More Expensive Wines Taste Better?

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2 ... te-better/



When you take a sip of Cabernet, what are you tasting? The grape? The tannins? The oak barrel? Or the price?

Believe it or not, the most dominant flavor may be the dollars. Thanks to the work of some intrepid and wine-obsessed economists (yes, there is an American Association of Wine Economists), we are starting to gain a new understanding of the relationship between wine, critics and consumers.

I bought a bottle of Cupcake Vineyards Chardonnay the day before Christmas at Biggie and thoroughly enjoyed with our Cornish Hens stuffed with long grain and wild rice. It was quite inexpensive (less than $10) and was very good. I bought it because it was "featured" by Biggies.

I don't know all the "taster" lingo in describing it, but I can say it was well worth price.

Biggies was booming the day before Christmas. They had three registers going to handle all the customers.