December 26, 2005

Wine News: If the wine is cheap, that doesn't make it bad

"Mike Williams says he can taste the difference between a $5 bottle of wine and a $10 bottle. But when it comes to contrasting $30 and $60 bottles, his taste buds don't say much.

"I'm probably not qualified to tell the difference," the Walnut Creek, Calif., man said while shopping the wine aisle at Trader Joe's in Concord.

He placed an $8 bottle in his basket, then changed his mind.

Instead, he said, "I'll probably go for a bottle of Charles Shaw. It suits our purpose." At $2 a bottle, Shaw's wine, also known as "two-buck Chuck," is a "good everyday wine," Williams said. (The price varies from $1.99 to $3.39 a bottle among its stores, depending on transportation costs, taxes and state laws, according to Trader Joe's, which has stores in Cincinnati and Kettering, Ohio.)

The varieties and price choices for wine abound, leaving consumers to wonder what's in a price tag."

Full article here.