Why is some wine cheap and some expensive?

The price of a bottle of wine reflects a few things. First up are the costs of production, or how much it costs to make a bottle. There are the raw materials of grapes, barrels and bottles, plus utilities and labor. Secondly, expensive wines are expensive because they can be.

How are some wines so cheap?

The bulk of cheap wines are made from grapes grown in hot regions with fertile soils, like California Central Valley. These environments grow grape crops easily and quickly, but they lack the subtleties from different climates such as Europe or Napa Valley.

What makes some wines more expensive than others?

What Makes Wine Expensive? There are three major traits to expensive wine and they are oak, time and terroir. Of course, it’s possible to find these traits in value wines, if they are from developing wine countries.

Why are wine prices different?

Winemakers are required to balance a number of different factors to determine the cost of their final product. For one, there is the yield of a given vineyard. Lower yields generally mean better quality fruit (and ultimately, wine), but this comes at a cost to the winemaker’s volume potential.

Why does wine vary in price?

Winemaking is the process by which grapes are transformed into wine. The process is more or less always the same, but the techniques of each winery often differ. The ageing of the wine, the maturation time, also comes with endless expenses. The longer the wine must age the higher the cost for the winery.

Do cheap wines have more sugar?

Well, the cheap stuff tends to have more sugar than pricey brands. In fact, a lot of inexpensive wine brands actually contain added sugar. For those of you who need proof to believe it, just take a look at nutrition labels and you’ll see — there are eight grams of sugar in a five-ounce serving of Franzia Moscato.

Why cheap wine gives you a headache?

Wines high in tannins can sometimes – but not always – interfere with serotonin levels, which can result in a headache. The reason cheap wines get blamed so often is because, just like with the sugar, in cheaper wines these tannins tend to be added or even synthetic, which can create the headache.

Why are expensive wines so expensive?

Expensive wines are usually expensive for two reasons. First off, expensive wines typically cost more to make.

What determines the price of a bottle of wine?

The price of a bottle of wine reflects a few things. First up are the costs of production, or how much it costs to make a bottle. There are the raw materials of grapes, barrels and bottles, plus utilities and labor. You also have to factor in administrative, sales and marketing costs.

How much does a good wine cost?

As the terroir becomes more specific and more scarce, the price usually jumps up by $5. For instance, if you buy a generic ‘California’ wine it might cost $12 compared to a ‘Sonoma’ wine at $17 compared to a ‘Russian River Valley’ (a sub-appellation in Sonoma) at $22.

Why are wine barrels so expensive?

This evaporation is called the ‘angel’s share’ but the result is that the wine in the barrel tastes more concentrated. $2-4 more in cost per bottle Oak barrels are expensive because only 2 barrels can be made from an 80 year old oak tree. French barrels are in demand so they cost about twice as much as American barrels.