Beer Prices v. Wine Prices

Originally Posted by TheRiddick

Vic, I do not agree with your "This post doesn't" POV. Same way you framed the question of "why not..." I can also ask, Why do cigar smokers, in general, have no issue paying $15-20 PER CIGAR (and more in some cases) when they will also tell you that spending that same sum on a bottle of wine is stupid?

Since taste is subjective (and there is no argument on this point, just let me know what you think of cow tongue aspic), why do you simply assume that what is great beer to you simply MUST be great beer for everyone else? Isn't this snobbish and elitist point of view, the point of contention in your original post?

You still didn't answer my question as to what is a great bottle of wine to YOU?

Greg, I'm not ignoring you, it's just that what is great to me is not the point of my question.

You obviously work in the wine trade, but trust me my question is not some secret plot to replace wine with beer and destroy your industry It's an honest question that i'm curious about.

If you must know, a great wine to me is one I enjoy. Can I find one for $14.00 a bottle? Sure. But IN GENERAL, wine at that price point is a low end wine. Drinkable, okay, but world class? No. Are there diamonds in the rough? Sure, same as with anything else. But the diamonds in the rough are still not comparable to the best wines in the world, are they? If they were, what would possibly justify the prices places like Screaming Eagle charge for their wine? Yet people will not only willingly pay these prices, they'll step on grandma's head to do it.

Flip side of the coin. Beer for $14.00 a sixpack. IN GENERAL that is going to get you some mighty fine beer, probably a beer that is one of the best in the world in it's class. Yet people ***** and moan about it and I find that funny, a little sad, and don't understand it. Are there duds? Sure. But it's the flip side of the equation, the duds are FAR outnumbered by the great beers at that price point. And the duds are rarely truly awful beers, rather it's just that they are priced too high for what they are, they are still much better than most beer out there.

And before the Bud topic comes up again, comparing Bud to craft beer is like comparing Boones Farm to Screaming Eagle. I'm willing to bet that a helluva lot more boones farm is sold every year than Screaming Eagle. Does that make Boones Farm a better wine?