Philosophy Of Wine (Price, Alcohol, and Quality) And Be Thankful

Quality to Price Ratio is foremost in the minds of Newbie, uninformed, or even intimidated wine shoppers; they intuitively know this, but don't have a clue how to utilize the concept, so marketing is key as it is in almost everything else.
There was a women looking for a bottle of wine to serve with her Thanksgiving feast, and she asked one of the market's employees what was what with wine, and as I am not bashful, I entered the fray. After the market employee and I got finished with our thoughts and recommendations, she turned around and bought one of the worst, but cheapest wines for her guests.
What was a chance for her to shine at her feast, became a disgraceful pandering to price and marketing, even after two, supposedly knowledgeable people spent fifteen minutes advising her to buy several quite comparably priced, but ever so slightly more expensive alternatives (Hers $7.99 a bottle to ours $9.99 a bottle), she blithely picked one of the wines neither of us had advised was WORTH the money. So she saved $2.00. A meal she would spend at least $100.00 for, she accented with a disgrace of a wine to save $2.00 that would only spoil her effort to please her guests.

A friend of mine wanted a Chardonnay and just blindly picked-up a 1.5L el-cheap o and there it sat for months, one glass poured. So I say: how was so and so Chardonnay? "Okay", is the reply..

I pondered these things for some time, but failed to understand their logic, so please, if anyone out there can help me to understand, chime-in.
Thanks,
Sincerely,
Dennis
A.K.A.
New Hampshire Wine Man

P.S.

Philosophy of wine must also have a PSYCHOLOGY of wine that deals with the interaction of the senses with the mental interpretation of what is sensed, and what that means, but that's for the experts.

For you and Newbie me, our want is to find a good wine at a good price that fits our circumstances.

Maybe I can help as I slosh through the slough of my own path

Here is some last minute wine recommendations for Thanksgiving in New Hampshire:


Bearboat Russian River 2006 Pinot Noir, $14.99, 91 points, is smooth and flavorful, a great wine at a great price.

Acacia Vineyard Carneros 2007 Pinot Noir, $23.99, 90 points, palate pleasant in every way,
and a great wine at still a reasonable price.

Duckpond cellars Willamette Valley 2008 Pinot Noir, $18.99, 90 points, is light, yet robust, complex, yet approachable,
Another great wine at a great price.

A good Pinot Noir can cost upwards of $40.00 or more, but these can be very good wines that will pair well with most Thanksgiving cuisine.

White wine is the usual fare with Turkey, so let me recommend some Sauvignon Blanc wines to pair with your Holiday meal:

1: Hall Napa Valley 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, $13.59, 89 points, is crisp and light.
2: Honig Rutherford Vineyard 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, $16.00, 88 points, is
gentle and tropical.
3. Robert Mondavi Napa Valley 2007 (Fume Blanc), $14.00, 88, points is creamy peach and lively.
4: Covey Run Columbia Valley 2007 (Fume Blanc), $3.99, 87 points, is a "I can't believe" Best Buy;
balanced and pair-able with a very good QPR.

So, if you haven't gotten that wine for Thanksgiving, and you intend to do so, try one of these and let me know; I think your guests will be Thankful.
Serve whites at about 40-50 degrees, and the Pinot Noirs at about 55- 60 degrees.

Index-of-reviewed-wines

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