Is there a difference in quality from one wine to another? Can you really tell the difference between a $100 and a $10 wine? What’s the difference between a mass-marketed wine and a small-production wine? These are the sorts of questions I get asked a lot. Being able to find a quality wine is really the crux of my entire existence as a Sommelier and Wine Educator. It is also a central goal for many other Sommeliers and Wine Directors when creating their wine lists. With quality being our chief pursuit, what are the things that we look for in a wine?
One of the first things I look for is information, and I’m not talking about scores in wine publications. I’m talking about technical information. Have you ever tried to look up where some of the big box names get their grapes or how they make their products? I’ll save you the effort; they don’t publish it. Some might give some tasting notes, or even some nutritional info. But as far as specifics of the how, when, where, and what—forget about it. They don’t want you to know about all the chemical manipulations and other questionable practices used to make their product. In researching for this post, I read a “Supply Chain Transparency” statement on a popular box wine producer’s website, and frankly, it was alarming. Here is a snippet:
“As a policy, we do not knowingly employ slaves or trafficked persons, or knowingly tolerate forced labor of any kind by our suppliers. We source the majority of our supplies from countries that have strict labor and employment laws that prohibit slavery and human trafficking.”
I don’t know about you, but the fact that they need a statement saying they don’t knowingly employ slaves makes me wonder why such a statement would even be necessary, and whether they truly care about an ethical supply chain. And certainly I wonder about how they are treating their grapes if even the way they treat people is in question.
On the other hand, if a winery tells you exactly where the grapes came from and what they did with them from start to finish, this is usually a good indicator that you are on the right track. Let’s explore Querciabella Chianti Classico as an example. They tell you the exact vineyards from which they harvested the grapes, with specifics about the soil composition and elevation of each location. They tell you how the grapes were harvested (by hand) and their viticulture practices in said vineyards. They tell you the exact type of aging and in what vessels, known as élevage (12 months in fine to extra fine-grained oak barriques (225 L) and tonneaux (500 L) of which 10% new – talk about specific!). They even tell you how many bottles they produce and the artist who created their label.
I think the difference is clear. Now you might be thinking that the second wine probably costs a lot more money. Indeed Querciabella’s Chianti Classico will be more expensive than a box wine, but not as much as you might think given the detail of their technical information. Depending on your market, their Chianti Classico will cost you somewhere between $25-$30 for a 750 mL bottle compared to the $7-$15 for a 5 L of box wine. If you break that down into cost per 5 oz glass the Querciabella will cost you about $5 and the box wine will cost you $.44. For me the difference in the consumption experience is absolutely worth that extra bit of money!
Finding detailed information on a wine is only a piece of the puzzle when hunting for quality. Of course the thing that completes the picture is the overall experience the wine gives the consumer–what the wine actually tastes like! Sommeliers and Wine Directors will taste hundreds of wines in order to create wine lists that reflect quality. When tasting wines, we aren’t just drinking; we are evaluating the wines to determine whether we think it will bring the consumer the best experience! When comparing similar wines that all provide abundant technical information, it’s our job (and I hope will soon be your goal too!) to ascertain which ones have the “X-factor.” Some questions I am actively focusing on are: does the wine have complexity? Does it have any flaws (things like too much volatile acidity, overly oxidized, excessive Sulfur Dioxide, etc.)? Is the wine in balance? Does it transport my mind to the place it was made (also known as expressing terroir)? Does the wine demand my attention? Does it stop me in my tracks? A wine that meets my standards of quality is one with a symbiosis of flavors and excitement; it just has that something that keeps bringing me back to glass. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does need to be captivating!
When I find a wine that I know has been crafted with care and expertise and that also creates an experience in which I simply must take another sip, I know that I have succeeded!
