[Don Plumley]

I hesitate posting, but here I go:

Speaking as a vintner, what I think is most important is that people drink what they like. Not what they are supposed to like, or what has a big "score", or what their friends like. Wine is a beverage, and like all food products, there are significant quality and taste differences across the spectrum. Some people like Miller Beer, some people like Anchor Steam. Some people like house vodkas, others will only drink Grey Goose. Pick your poison.

So two main comments:

1) As you drink more wine (and as you age) your palette changes. What tastes good to you this year in five years might not be drinkable. If you have not consumed lots of wine, a huge meaty red is probably untouchable. Or put another way, if you have driven 1,000's of track hours in many cars, taking a GT3RS out to the track and driving it feels great. If you've only driven a couple of laps, it would be an overwhelming experience and the potential of the car would be lost on you. Same holds for wine.

2) Be true to yourself. If you really prefer two buck chuck - fantastic! Think of the money you are saving and can spend on other stuff - like parts from our host.

Years ago we did a blind tasting with my father in law who swore he preferred TBC over the nicer bottles we tended to bring. Wines ranged from 5Gal jug wine to $50. He was wrong. He actually preferred the jug wine over TBC, and far over premium stuff.

I agree that wine price in and of itself is not always directly correlated with quality. Personal preferences aside for the moment, there are actually a bunch of $100 napa cabs that are no better than $20 bottles. But this is a luxury goods market - I'm not sure that a Louis Vuitton bag carries your clothes any better than Samonsite, but for some, there's a big difference.

I must say, great wines are sublime - they don't hit you over the head with an oak hammer, vanilla punch, or fruit bomb. They have balance - what we strive to make is wine with balance, nothing sticks out, but with complexity, nuance, and that goes with great food. The industry is lost on this today.

Cheers,

Don