I think the size of the importer portfolio also makes an impact on price. I’ve purchased wines that I felt should be around $15 but because the importer is smaller they marked up the wine a lot more. I agree with the price range $25-50 you can find awesome wines!
Great video Matt. I completely agree with you about that price point. £15 - £50 is just right for me. I don't feel comfortable spending more than that for wine I drink at home. That's far more than any of my close friends spend on wine and you can, as you say, find some really excellent stuff if you know what you're doing. Just today I saw an advert for a wine from Toro. It's a very good wine and costs about £45. However, that producer also bottle a real go to of mine at about £24 today (I used to pay £17 but that's how it is these days). I would say the more expensive bottling has certain qualities that a more expensive wine should have but, for me, it's only a tiny bit better. I don't think it's worth paying the extra even if I had money to burn. I just bought three wines from a producer in Puglia and they are different things but it's the cheapest at £16 which has me most interested. That is not to say that the extra isn't worth it. Sometimes it's the law of diminishing returns and other times it's just that wine is confusing as you say. I recently paid through the nose for a bottle of Tondonia Rose which I'm sure will taste great but absolutely not worth it. I've always wanted to taste it and so I splurged on one of those 'try before you die' experiences. Quite honestly, I think the more you know about wine (and as enthusiasts we are always learning) the more you are able to make educated decisions about your purchases. There are so many variables for folks without that knowledge and you have to add the wine mystique and vulgar money into the equation. Your conclusion is absolutely what I expected. Reservas and Grand Reservas are not always better than their younger siblings. They just have a different flavour profile. You like vibrant fruit and that gets aged out. Sometimes I like one and sometimes the other. My conclusion from this is that people should not think expensive wine is necessarily better. It's different and you weigh in all the factors. WT
Very well said! Glad you got to try the Tondonia Rosé, what a wine!!! BTW there are a lot of Spanish wine themed videos coming up, including a few with some Toros! Stay tuned
@@drmatthewhorkey hope some day you do a blind taste of wines from Galicia (Spain) and its different DOs(Rias Baixas, Ribeiro, Ribeira Sacra, Valdeorras and Monterrei). I could even help you out picking some examples.
I really like this video on multiple levels. First about the whole price point issue. This is something I have a hard time getting through to customers. But also like that you brought up Chianti Ruffina as well. The few wines I've been able to find from this region I've been very impressed. And I'll finally get around to mentioning the glasses. Ironically I already had both glasses you tend to use frequently. So happy, I seem to have managed to discover these on my own. I use my Gabriel Glas for whites and the Rosvya for reds. Anyway keep the videos coming. I'm enjoying a]and also enjoy when you do Italian!
Fun video, good doctor. I'm glad you put in the disclaimer about different palettes being equally valid. I could tell from your initial impressions that I would like the Rufina best, but I knew your tastes would run toward the sour cherry. LOL
Great video, and an interesting example of price vs. quality and the subjectiveness of it all. Italian wine has this intriguing dichotomy in that simultaneously they have an amazing variety of wines, red, white, rose, sparkling,, sweet, etc. But their wine laws, appellations are terribly confusing and constantly changing. Atm Chianti is moving in a more terroir focused way, allowing the communes to attach their name to the label; but they can't decide if they want to use MGA or UGA nomenclature. 🤣 Since Gran Selezione inception I have felt that it is unnecessary as CCR as a category is just fine, mid-to-high quality red wine at affordable prices. GS just muddies the waters and there doesn't seem to be much of a price or quality difference between Chianti Classico GS and Brunello di Montalcino. Just my thoughts on this topic. IMHO, vintage makes a huge difference in quality and enjoyment of a wine. Yes, wines can be opened a year or two after the vintage; but to get the full experience I feel you have to wait around 5 or 6 years with red wines for them to reach their full potential. Cheers and lunga vita Sangiovese!
The UGA system will be tough as it will initially apply only to Gran Selezione wines. Also tough bc the UGAs are marked by commune but CC is so hilly that it’s hard to nail down a style of each commune
@@martinsimon2538 I have never try Selvapiana, i quite like Travignoli and Nipozzano (the 2008 vintage was really good) and from Vetrice i recently had the Vin Santo 1985 wich was superbe.
@@drmatthewhorkey As a Sangiovese lover did you ever try the wine Dodo from "Taverna pane e vino" In Cortona? The bottle is a litre not 0,75 but a litre of pure joy and emotions, warm as only a good Sangiovese could be. If you never try it look for it, to me was love at the first sip, definetly the best "non D.O.C." Sangiovese ( along with the Cepparello i have to admit, but i prefer Dodo) i ever had. Salute!!!!!!
Great tip : know your own taste and don’t believe only in scores . The critic might like something different . I am lucky cause I like Sangiovese and high acidity wines just like you ! 😂
After a hard days work and you just want to unwind, do you have a go to red wine and brand you reach for on a regular basis? It seems I have a very similar palate to yours (except for white, for some reason I just cant handle white wines at all :-( ) A fav of mine but not a go to since its not always readily available in my area is Brancaia Riserva Chianti Classico (recommended by you).
It is a bit hard to give a qualified answer to your question without setting price range or other criteria like riservas. I would claim that classico is my home turf after multiple visits, even this summer. Brancaia is fine but its in particular their supertuscan il blu that I like. Of regular classico’s I think Brolio and villa Antinori stands out (15-18€) especially with 7-8 years aging. Castell in Villa is also really good but priced like a riserva. The first 2 is where I started and I still enjoy eventhough now its most times gran selezione.
I know that feeling after work and I just want a decent red wine. I can't justify drinking fine (expensive) wine whilst I'm scoffing down some sausages or a curry.
Dude, the San Felice Il Grigio Classico Riserva (not the Gran Selezione ) is an absolute BANGER for around 17 EUR in Germany. I usually skip Gran Selezione as a category as a whole because the quality doesnt scale fairly with the price. To me it seems like a gimmick the region tries in order to compete with the Brunello market share.
I just checked the prices in Germany. It is possible to find the Quona for 24€, where the Il Grigio Gran Selezione retails for 26€. It seems to me that the Il Grigio is overpriced in the US.
@@ischgl89the gran selezione can be bought on sale for around 17 dollars sometimes, so he is correct. We have some cheap rioja as well, faustino and marques de riscal for under 15 bucks on sale. Usually my three go tos
@@ischgl89 you might say so, but it is true even here post Corona and all the price increases. I would guess this particulare national supermarket is one of San Felice’s biggest customers (probably main reason). Prior Corona they also had the PoggioRosso which I bought on sale for less than 30€.
