Posted: Feb 22, 2021
Trying wine is all fun and games, but buying wine is a different story. I like to keep things simple and affordable, but I do sometimes wonder about the fancier, more expensive wines I'm missing out on.
While I tend to stick to wines that are $15 or less, my dad prefers splurging on "higher quality" bottles. So I decided to conduct a blind taste test pitting cheap wines against their more expensive counterparts to see if a higher price point really means higher quality.
Disclaimer: I know everyone's tastes are different! "Cheap" should not be equated to "bad," the same way that "expensive" should not be equated to "good." This is just a fun little experiment to hopefully find some great, budget-friendly options!
Here's how it worked: my dad knew which wines we were drinking. My mom, my boyfriend Andrew, and I blindly sampled the five pairs of wines to determine which we enjoyed the most. Then Dad revealed which samples belonged to which bottles.
Conde Noble Vino Rosado, $3.99 from Lidl. vs San Gregorio Rosado, $10.99 from Total Wine.
Rosado conclusion: The $10.99 bottle did get the win, but luckily, it's still a great price! This was the pricier rosado, but it's still super affordable! We thought it tasted slightly like apples and was very refreshing.
Comte de Brismand Brut Reserve Champagne, $19.99 from Lidl. vs Mailly Grand Cru Brut Réserve Champagne, $45.99 from Total Wine.
Maybe my palate is "unrefined," but I enjoyed these champagnes equally. While my friend slightly preferred the pricier option, I found both of them to be refreshing in their own ways! Since Mom really doesn't like champagne, our results were a little muddled and there wasn't a clear consensus from the group. It's awesome I got to try a champagne out of my league, but would I get it again? Probably not. I'm a young person on a budget — $20 for a bottle is enough of a splurge for me!
I know that some cheaper wines really do taste as if they cost $2 or $3. We've all fallen victim to one of those syrupy-sweet, hangover juices. But I was so excited to taste these affordable wines and find out that that's not always the case! I've been finding that places like Lidl, Trader Joe's, and Aldi carry some really spectacular wines that taste high quality and don't break the bank. Don't let anyone shame you for enjoying a $6 bottle of wine. As this experiment has taught me, price does not mean you will or won't like something. Find what you like and what works for you, and enjoy it!
By Hannah Dobrogosz
02-20-2021
Source and complete article by: buzzfeed.com
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