Netscape Forum Poll: Coping with rising wine prices

[Robin Garr]

Jumping off from the recent forum discussion on <b>"crazy" wine prices</b>, this week's Netscape/CompuServe Community poll seeks to determine what impact wine inflation is having on our buying habits. Are you buying less, buying cheaper, or sucking it in and continuing your buying habits as before? Click here to vote:

<b>Click here to vote</b>

(There's no need to register or log in to the Netscape forum to vote.)

"buying cheaper" is somewhat inaccurate but best fits my actions. What really is happening is that I am working harder to find the less known wines that are as good as what I used to purchase. I still buy some of the old favorites at higher prices but am tasting more and finding great values in Spain, Italy and So France. Also some of the west coast stuff is more appealing since there seems to be a marginal decline in the use of oak.
Walt

[Robin Garr]

"buying cheaper" is somewhat inaccurate but best fits my actions. What really is happening is that I am working harder to find the less known wines that are as good as what I used to purchase. I still buy some of the old favorites at higher prices but am tasting more and finding great values in Spain, Italy and So France. Also some of the west coast stuff is more appealing since there seems to be a marginal decline in the use of oak.
Walt

I agree with every word of that, Walt, and it pretty clearly defines my own recent buying patterns, although to some extent I guess I'm also sucking it up and paying more. Somewhere between those two points, anyway.

I'm "shopping" much more in my own cellar, and attending more tastings to sample the higher priced stuff -- and buying more by the glass as well.

Buying cheaper? I wouldn't put it quite that way. I've been doing more bargain hunting lately...but still trying to maintain a good QPR.

Richard

I voted buying cheaper. We drink wine every day and buying expensive bottles of wine just isn't possible. So for example, brunellos aren't really even on my radar because they're prohibitively expensive.

I agree with the prior points. By "cheaper" I mean quality wines on sale, quality wines from little known wineries, etc.

[Robin Garr]

I agree with the prior points. By "cheaper" I mean quality wines on sale, quality wines from little known wineries, etc.

Yeah, all I meant by "cheaper" was "less expensive." It seems that some of us evidently put more of a pejorative connotation on "cheap" than I do. I really meant, simply, "buy less expensive wines." This certainly implies QPR to me, but I wanted to leave the short poll as open-ended as I could.

Basically everyone knows what you mean by "cheaper" but felt the need to clarify the definition anyway.

[Robin Garr]

Basically everyone knows what you mean by "cheaper" but felt the need to clarify the definition anyway.

D'oh!

[James Roscoe]

I have been buying cheaper wine all along! How is the aging curve on that Thunderbird by the way?

I really had to go with "less wine." I think I am probably drinking less than a few years ago, and I know that as a couple Beth and I are drinking much less since she drinks almost nothing now (allergies or something) so a bottle lasts us a couple of days. But I seem to be spending about as much - so it must be on more expensive wine.
I must say I am suprised at the early returns, with less than one in five buying less.

Generally I've been trading up as we don't drink too often and it's nice to have a really good selection. That's also included hunting out a few more older bottles.

More recently the average spend has reduced with some auction purchases offering good value.

regards

Ian

I think that "drinking smarter" might be how I'd put it. I've eschewed buying CalCabs, most Cru Bdx, some of favorite Rhone producers, etc. Instead, I've increased my purchases of Loire whites and reds, Beaujolais, satellite appellations in Bdx and Burgundy, Bandol, Languedoc reds, QbA Rieslings and wines made by smaller producers. This is "smarter" because these wines also go better with the food that we eat, so it's a win/win/wine.

Mark Lipton

I am doing some of "all of the above." I never bought much of the top of the line stuff (only occaisionally for the most special of events). So the First Growths remain off my radar. Most of the top California cabs now seem to be over $100 a pop ... well I'll buy precious few of them. My weird view is that $100 is just about as much as I will pay for a bottle of wine... any wine... and that's only for a really special occaision. For a nice weekend dinner with my Sig Other I'll pay say $25-50 for a good bottle. For my glass of wine with everyday dinner we're talking under $20.... and often well under $20. The trick, of course is finding wines I like in those price ranges. Luckily, I can still do that fine. Yes, I drink more Spanish wine than I used to but they make some fine wine for the price. And yes, I drink less of the well known names from California and France than I used to... I figure it's their loss.

Glenn

Finland has a monopoly so we've always had high prices. The good thing is that price rises aren't as rapid here; the bad news is that we pay, e.g. for 1998 Bordeauxs similar prices to 2000! Therefore my drinking hasn't changed much. I am not able to buy much for the long term because buying a couple "QPR" bottles a week to drink and going to a couple tastings a month takes that budget.

The result is that though I get to taste much more than a student should and much "better" wines that a student should, I rarely open up fancy stuff at home. Considering what I do get to taste, I shouldn't complain - but these wines cry out for food, so I do. More unfortunate is that if prices go the way they have been going, I don't think I'll be able to drink wine in a decade.

-O-(hoping that no one will find out the glory that is Muscadet and that beer can be just as complex a drink as the best wines)