The Rise of the $100 Bottle

Thanks to Deena at Viti-Culture for the tip-off on a great six-year-old article in the Economist about the history, influences, and factors involved in the increasingly astronomic prices of the worlds finest wines. Frankly, I wish the Economist would write more these days about wine, as their editorial standards are exceedingly high, and their research, generally impeccable. This story is no exception, and it concisely details the complexities of the Asian wine buying craze in the 80's, the rise of Robert Parker, the ascendance of the Garagistes and more. If you've ever wondered how the heck anyone ever got the balls to charge $100 for a bottle of wine, this is an interesting exploration of a possible answer.

Apparently this is all part of a larger set of articles on wine, but many are subscription only. Check out the full story.

Posted by: Alder on October 3, 2005 6:14 AM: Tweet; Share this post elsewhere: Digg it! - Add to del.icio.us - Add to Stumbleupon - Add to Reddit; Filed under: Ramblings and Rants

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Comments (5)

johng wrote:

10.03.05 at 11:58 AM

I believe Berger lives in Santa Rosa - Sonoma County.

Alder wrote:

10.03.05 at 3:31 PM

Ah. Perhaps that's true. My mistake, then.

cd wrote:

10.03.05 at 4:09 PM

interesting read. personally I've gone backwards lately. After spending too much money on a few wines ($90+), I've been trying to search out great wines in a range from 30-60 which might some too much for some, but sees reasonable right now...

Steve Plotnicki wrote:

10.04.05 at 9:27 PM

The writer of that article must be kidding. He asks why an item with no intrinsic value, and which is made in scarce quantities, and which is sold on a commodities like market, is extravagantly priced? I bet you the same writer would never question why people spend $200K on a Ferrari or $165K on a new Bentley.

Steve Plotnicki wrote:

10.04.05 at 9:28 PM