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$15 wine: the new normal

post #1 of 42
4/14/11 at 4:01pm
Thread Starter 
http://www.latimes.com/features/food...4,0,1196.story

Quote:
To an overwhelming degree, retail customers are spending less for a bottle of wine than they did two years ago. In 2009, we wrote in these pages that, in terms of a sales sweet spot, $25 was the new $40. If anything, that median is trending further downward in 2011. For many, $15 to $20 might be the new $25.

I can't remember when I last spent more than $20 on a bottle of wine outside of a restaurant.
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post #2 of 42
4/14/11 at 4:05pm
at the shop i work at, about 60% of the inventory is $14 and under. that represents almost 75% of our total sales. regular (aka non-sf) people just dont have the coin or desire to buy mid-range stuff anymore. there are tons of great value wines out there that are very enjoyable.
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post #3 of 42
4/14/11 at 4:05pm
I'm usually anywhere in the $12-$24 range for my weekly drinkers.

A to Z Pinot Noir been getting massive consumption in my house.
Acrobat Pinot, Paul Lehman Clancy too.

On the whites...lotta Babich Sav Blanc.
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post #4 of 42
4/14/11 at 4:07pm
For everyday drinkers $20 in my max. But for that special occasion or when I'm visitng a vineyard/winery (especially one I love) then I'll certainly pay more.

But I did see that sort of trend while working in a wine store here in Chicago during 2009/2010. Not only on the consumer side but also on the retailer's side with a smaller selection of $25+ bottles.
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post #5 of 42
4/14/11 at 4:10pm
I wonder if this trend also has to do with a growing knowledge base/sophistication of the average US wine consumer? I know I actually have a lower average bottle price now than I did several years ago when I first fell in love with wine. When I was a complete novice, vs. just being a relative novice now, I used name recognition and price as a proxy for good taste and was not often disappointed. It takes some knowledge to learn what bottles are likely to drink like a $45 bottle but cost $22.

Just a thought.
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post #6 of 42
4/14/11 at 4:10pm
ive always spent around $15-20 on a bottle unless I have an occasion. Theres so many great wines at such low prices you dont have to spend a lot to get a good drinker.
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post #7 of 42
4/14/11 at 4:12pm
:small-timer alert: I don't have the slightest hesitation in saying that I can be sufficiently entertained, inebriated and satisfied with a sub-$15 bottle of wine. I've consumed some $7-10 bottles that were really quite nice.
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post #8 of 42
4/14/11 at 4:13pm
However, I remain unconvinced there is much in the way of "great wine" at ~ $20, let alone plethora of it.
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post #9 of 42
4/14/11 at 4:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Piobaire View Post
However, I remain unconvinced there is much in the way of "great wine" at ~ $20, let alone plethora of it.

True! I like to call them non-cerebral wines
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post #10 of 42
4/14/11 at 4:36pm
there isnt any vino di meditazione at that level but sometimes that isnt what you want every night
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post #11 of 42
4/14/11 at 4:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwilkinson View Post
there isnt any vino di meditazione at that level but sometimes that isnt what you want every night

Agreed. Some nights I'm happy to crack a $15 bottle of spatburgunder...in the 1 litre size!

Speaking of which, check you PM K.
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post #12 of 42
4/14/11 at 5:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dakota rube View Post
:small-timer alert: I don't have the slightest hesitation in saying that I can be sufficiently entertained, inebriated and satisfied with a sub-$15 bottle of wine. I've consumed some $7-10 bottles that were really quite nice.
Yup. I feel like my wine palate isn't sophisticated enough to be able to sufficiently appreciate the difference between a good $15-20 wine and a great bottle that costs twice that, at least not enough to warrant the price difference.
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post #13 of 42
4/14/11 at 5:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Piobaire View Post
I wonder if this trend also has to do with a growing knowledge base/sophistication of the average US wine consumer?

I assume this has an effect, but I'm guessing it's only minor. The cheap jug wine sales are still massive and I can't really see the $45/bottle average guys going to $20/bottle average and having it really shift the numbers like we see. Confusing me even more: "bottles priced at $20 or more rose the most last year, gaining 11 percent over 2009, though the biggest category of wine sales was the $3-to-$5.99 range" (from that french/us wine consumption article). Seems contradictory, no? (note: I am on a conference call now, everything I just typed could make no sense at all and I'll have to look at it again later)
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post #14 of 42
4/14/11 at 5:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nil View Post
Yup. I feel like my wine palate isn't sophisticated enough to be able to sufficiently appreciate the difference between a good $15-20 wine and a great bottle that costs twice that, at least not enough to warrant the price difference.

+1

While I can tell differences in flavors and textures to a degree, I'm not sure if what I like is also considered "good" by a connoiseur. Most likely it isn't.
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post #15 of 42
4/14/11 at 6:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nil View Post
Yup. I feel like my wine palate isn't sophisticated enough to be able to sufficiently appreciate the difference between a good $15-20 wine and a great bottle that costs twice that, at least not enough to warrant the price difference.

Quote:
Originally Posted by celery View Post
+1

While I can tell differences in flavors and textures to a degree, I'm not sure if what I like is also considered "good" by a connoiseur. Most likely it isn't.

As the moto goes from the wine store I used to work at: The best wine for you is the wine you like the best!
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