How To Pick A “Good” Bottle Of Wine

Go into any decent booze emporium these days and you can expect to find close to 5,000 different wine brands lining the shelves. Where do you start? Colour or cost? Brand or label? Grape variety or country of origin? Are you paring it with something for tonight’s dinner or sending it to your cellar?

Hopefully you’re not overwhelmed before you’ve begun, but if you are, I’d like to help you choose a bottle that suits your needs. To know what you want, you need to know what you’re looking for.

Before we fill your glass, I’m going to fill your head (so maybe this is a good time to pour a glass of something delicious before you read on). We’re going to look at the following really mean to you: price, grape, country, region and age (vintage). Once you’ve got your bearings, you should feel confident that the next bottle you buy will be a “good” buy.

The main drivers: price vs. grape variety

Most people generally know if they’re looking for a white or red so that’s an easy start; and if you’re not venturing out beyond that, you’re the norm—the largest retailer of wine in Ontario (LCBO) sells about 55% red wine vs 45% white.

In an extensive study of American wine consumers done by Public Opinion Strategies and Chlopak Leonard Schechter & Associates in 2011 found the type of grape in the wine was the most important factor followed by price. The causal wine consumer relied heavily on price to help make the decision, whereas the heavy wine consumer made the decision based on type of grape.

What does the price tell you?

How do you select a bottle of wine off the restaurant wine list where you have even less information to help you make the decision? You don’t even have the fancy labels to get your attention or help jog your memory if you’ve had it before. They’ll likely group them by country, where they list the wine brand and name, maybe type of grape and finally the price—and the price always climbs as you go down the list. The prices can range from the high 20s to hundreds of dollars for a single bottle. In a study conducted in 2015 by ASDA, a large groceries chain in UK, they discovered easily half of all diners opt for the second cheapest wine on the list (I guess choosing the least expensive wine might make you look cheap). They also found that people are five times more likely to experiment with new wines in a store than when dining out. Maybe it’s because they are generally paying a 100% plus markup on the restaurant wine.

Price doesn’t guarantee you’ll like it

Let’s first understand how much it costs to make a bottle of wine and work our way to your wallet. There are a number of factors affecting the price of any wine, such as:

• Cost of land whether the winery owns prime real estate or contracts grapes (raw unplanted land can range from $20,000 to as high as $300,000 (prime Napa) per acre)
• The size of the operation. Small boutique winery (10-20 acres) or a massive operation where economies of scale can be achieved
• Physical labour on farm/facility vs. mechanized operations
• French oak or American oak barrels to age wine ($1,000-$3,600 depending on quality)
• Length of aging process (storage and handling costs over months or years) 
• Type of grape varietal varies based on supply and demand (the most expensive varietal are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot)
• The glass bottle, cork/screw and label ($3.50-$4.50 per bottle)

All these facts contribute to the production costs, but at the end of the day, these costs are only 25% of the total bottle price. The bulk of the cost is made up of distributor (30%) and retail costs (45%). So when you’re looking at a $20 bottle of wine, you are really looking at $6.60 worth of wine-you pay more for a Starbucks designer venti coffee!

To reach an economy of scale winemakers need to literally produce billions of bottles per year. In fact, 95% of wine produced in USA is made by just five wineries; the remaining 8,000 wineries make only 10,000 cases per year. So how do the smaller wineries stay in business? They survive off tasting rooms, direct-to-consumer wine clubs and direct-to-high-end restaurants contracts.

Get to know your grapes—they’re more than just body

A wine made with only one type of grape is a single-variety wine. A wine made with several different-types of grapes is a blend. Easy. But most French Bordeaux reds are a blend of several grapes, including the two most popular grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. In Europe, wines are traditionally named after the place they originated, which tells you nothing about what is in the bottle. If you’re lucky, there’s varietal information on the back-side of the bottle. Most of the time that information is in the language of origin. To navigate most European wines (French, Italian and Spanish) you need a decent reference guide or wine expert at your disposal. Most USA, Australian, New Zealand and Chilean wines are single-variety wines that are clearly marked on the bottle.

Thanks to data provided by www.winetirle.com I was able to build these two charts which illustrates the most-popular grape varieties (circle size identifies size of global production) and their average characteristics, including acidity level and robustness of flavours. These simple charts can only be a guide because different regions have different environmental conditions, temperature levels and soil conditions, and of course each grower and winemaker uses different tools and growing methods. All these variables and combinations are endless and will have an effect of the final taste characteristics of the wine. These charts are a good rule of thumb.

The dirt on choosing a wine by country (region or appellation)

If a country can grow horticulture, then they can likely grow wine grapes. Wikipedia lists over 60 countries that produce wine, but most wine/liquor stores only carry the top producing countries like Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, South Africa and United States.

By choosing a country the decision making process just got a lot more complicated. We can start by dividing the world up into three distinct regions: cool, moderate and warm climates–all based on their proximity to the equator.

Cooler climate wines are often crisp, have a tangy acidity and a lighter body (perfect for white wines such as Riesling and Chardonnay and lighter reds, such as Pinot Noir and Gamay). The cooler climate allows the grape to ripen and accumulate their flavour slowly. These wines tend to be complex and balance, with higher acidity and more mineral flavours that help accent the flavours in food–making them the most food-friendly wines in the world. Cool weather regions include Ontario, Germany, Austria and Champagne.

Warmer climate wines area are generally able to ripen more fully with lower acidity, higher alcohol and full-bodied (perfect for white wines such as Viognier and full-bodied reds, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Sangiovese and Zinfandel). The reds tend to be darker and denser in flavour, and the whites have tropical flavours with notes of fig, banana and mango. In general, you will find riper fruit and softer tannins on the nose and palate suggests more sunshine and warmer climates. Warmer climate regions include Napa Valley, Australia, Italy, Spain, Chile and Southern France

The perfect moderate (Mediterranean) climates or as I like to call the ‘sweet spot’ if such a climate/weather really exists. The perfect amount of temperature, precipitation, humidity and sunlight. One area that claims this climate is Bordeaux, France and regions near the 40o latitude North and South. The reds are ripe and juicy with notes of berry and plum and a medium body and intensity.

But we all know the weather in all parts of the world doesn’t necessarily cooperate—which is where the vintage comes into play.

Do all wines taste better with age?

Not necessarily, says Robert Wilson blogger and CEO of Winestyr.com. Most wines are made to be consumed right away. The general rule is keep the white wines young and fresh (less than five years old) and give red wines some time to round out the acidity and tannins (over three years). But older doesn’t guarantee better. As Wilson says “Think of wine like any other old thing or antique. Generally, as things get older, they become junk. However, there are some treasures that get better (or more sought after) over time…the same is true with wine.” You’ll definitely know the good vintage wines because the cost does tend to favour their rarity.

It is fair to say a cooler climate red wine would benefit from a few years of aging in an oak barrel or in the bottle before drinking and the costs associated with these actions should be reflected in the wine’s price. If you should ever find yourself with an old bottle (close to your birth year) of first growth Bordeaux and want to find out when you should consume it, you can invite me over! Or better yet, call or email the winery who will give you advice on any vintage you’ve been thinking of opening soon.

Ask or seek help in choosing a bottle of wine

Save your pride for directions. When it comes to getting a great bottle at the store, ask the staff for recommendations, based on the areas you learned about today. There are also some excellent wine apps to help you if you’re still afraid to ask.

Don’t be afraid to try something new. Explore beyond the Pinot Noirs or Chardonnays. Try a wine blend over a single varietal wine. Read the back label for more details about the winery or the wine. If you really like a wine that someone else has selected for a dinner party or restaurant, take a picture of it for further reference. Try out Vivino, Delectable or Wine-Searcher label scanning apps. I have been told all three apps’ label recognition software is comparable. I have the Vivino app and it works great for providing average pricing, peer rating and tasting notes.

Now if your next wine purchase still doesn’t meet your needs, then drink it quickly and keep exploring.