Who here knows anything about wine?

[<*)))><]

Greedy label envy! Which is extremely common - this stuff is expensive so it must be good so I must like it!

Give your buddy a blind test.

Go get 2 more bottles of mid rank crap Zin. Serve all 4 wines almost fully blind (fully blind would be 4 unknown wines, but 2 are already known so that horse has sailed). Provide 4 glasses in random order and ask the taster to rank the wines without knowing which wine is in which glass, and in this case the taster will have no knowledge of the 2 crap mystery wines - your job is to get in their head and talk up the mystery wines. You may be surprised by the results?

We regularly do fully blind tastings. No knowledge of the wines. A very humbling experience. The most well regarded and most expensive rarely rank at the top.

There's a lot of truth in there, but I don't care
I've got friends that will occasionally take an empty bottle of Caymus and refill it with kirkland cab. Its never done maliciously and the "reveal" is always fun.

Generally my attitude towards wine is, drink it and look for more

 

[brsnow]

Greedy label envy! Which is extremely common - this stuff is expensive so it must be good so I must like it!

Give your buddy a blind test.

Go get 2 more bottles of mid rank crap Zin. Serve all 4 wines almost fully blind (fully blind would be 4 unknown wines, but 2 are already known so that horse has sailed). Provide 4 glasses in random order and ask the taster to rank the wines without knowing which wine is in which glass, and in this case the taster will have no knowledge of the 2 crap mystery wines - your job is to get in their head and talk up the mystery wines. You may be surprised by the results?

We regularly do fully blind tastings. No knowledge of the wines. A very humbling experience. The most well regarded and most expensive rarely rank at the top.

I think a lot of that has to do with familiarity, most people have little exposure to higher end wines. I fully admit to loving all levels of wine, just like beer they all have their place. If you did wagyu beef burgers with say a common fast food, likely many would choose the less quality in a blind test.

 

[profmason]

I had a chance to a get a crash course in wine over a decade ago from a fellow engineer.

Basics: There is a lot to be learned from the label. (This is specific to California but is generally used)

Statements of geographical origin are also subject to regulation. To be designated as a “California” wine, 100% of the grapes used in the wine must be grown in that state. To bear a viticultural area designation such as “Napa,” “Sonoma,” or “El Dorado County,” 85% or more of the grapes used must be grown in the designated area.

This wine shows a very specific geographic region which is a hallmark of quality.

If a California wine label identifies the product as a varietal wine, 75% of the wine must be made from the named grape variety. In order to bear a vintage date, such as “2008,” 95% or more of the grapes used in making the wine must be harvested in the year stated. The other 5% may be from other vintages used to top off wines in barrels.

This bottle is listed as "Produced and Bottled By .... " This has a legal definition meaning at least 75% but likely less then a 100% was entirely produced by the winemaker. This is another hallmark of a high quality wine. .

“Estate Bottled” and “Grown, Produced and Bottled by …” each mean that 100% of the grapes used must be from a vineyard that is owned or controlled within a viticultural area where the winery is located. These designations by a respected winemaker often denote a higher quality wine, since the entire product was produced by that winemaker.

“Produced and Bottled by . . .” designates that the bottler made, fermented and finished at least 75% of the wine. “Made and Bottled by . . .” means that the bottler made, fermented and finished at least 10% of the wine. Again, the extent to which a winemaker participated in the production of the wine often can be an indicator of quality.

“Cellared and Bottled by . . .” or “Vinted and Bottled by . . .” means that the bottler made less than 10% of the wine and possibly did not make any of the wine. This designation often refers to wines bought in bulk from other wineries and bottled under the label of a winery that had no involvement in the production of the wine. (Thanks to M. Fate)

Of course Alcohol is terrible for you, and you should choose intoxicants that have fewer harmful effects on the body. But, if you do buy wine, the the legal requirements of labeling can give you insight into the product.