Fine Wine, Cheap Vino, & Taste Perception

Science has finally answered a question for me that I have had for years.  As I am sure is know, I occasionally like a decent tasting wine, especially that is not at the extreme in dry, but just the same I am not overly fond of one that is really sweet either.  What I have not been able to figure out though is the seemingly overpriced wines that I often run into.  At one time, I had the mistaken thought the more expense clearly the better the wine, especially as the wine ratings tended to always go with the more expensive varieties.  Today, science confirms, that for most people a cheaper vintage will do just fine.

The study did not give a name to it, but it concluded, through analysis of lots of data with various tests that the so called wine experts that can detect hints of oak and peach, or similar such mostly nonsense actually have a heightened sense of taste.   This was proved out through a range of testing that offered a variety of things in the taste and in almost all cases these experts with heightened sense of taste could detect trace additives long before the average person could in the same concoctions.  I feel a sense of vindication from science on this.

You see, having several times tried more expensive wines I have almost always come back to a typical wine that averaged somewhere just south of ten dollars.  I do have a couple of exceptions of wines that I have decided I really like that push above that limit.  But then again, on the other hand, I did discover a couple of vintages that I liked just fine, especially the whites, that were regularly on sale for three bucks and change, pushing four total, last summer.

And that brings me to one other matter I am going to touch on that always bugs me.  Bourbon and called shots in mixed drinks.  I do not understand that additional expense of such.  Now bourbons, to a large extent, on the premium side I can find a difference in the taste.  For instance, I find Markers Mark to be much sweeter in taste then most other bourbons, and because of that, if I am just sipping over ice I tend to avoid it.  Going back to my mixed drink though, why would you ever call a premium bourbon for such?  I mean once you begin adding the bourbon to an equal volume of coke or sweet and sour mix who can honestly still tell anything regarding the distinction of such?  Seems such a waste of top shelf bourbons and money in my personal opinion.

** – Image by Andreas Levers license under Creative Commons.