See below for what happened.........

A Value Tasting

In this tasting we will be evaluating a selection of wines that have been chosen to be exceptional values as to quality and price. 

Except for the varietal name, the tasting will be performed blind. All wines will be evaluated as to quality level and perceived price by all in attendance. We will then calculate for each wine:  the average perceived price by the group as a whole, the ratio of perceived price vs. actual price( “degree of value”) and the ranking of wines by that value ratio. 

The wines will then be unveiled and the identities and the actual prices will be revealed. The wines (a minimum of 6 will be tasted) will be both white and red and will span a variety of price ranges. 

Cheese and bread will accompany the wines. Coffee and Dessert will follow the tasting. Attendees should bring several glasses each to compare adjacent wines. No smoking or strong fragrances--please.

Attendees recognize they will consume alcohol and assume responsibility of having done so.

Attendance will be limited to the first 36.  Reservation deadline is Monday, February 16, 2009.

Members  $21.00            Guests   $25.00

What Happened.........

This very interesting tasting was organized by Bob Bilenchi and Rosemary Lauder, who presented it with the assistance of Frank and Jackie Carson and Max and Pat vom Steeg.

Usually, we judge wine on merits of appearance, aroma, taste and finish without attention to cost. For this tasting we judged the wines as usual, but combined our impressions into a single number – the price that a vendor should charge.  Were we to set a price higher than the vendor price,  that would represent good value and the ratio would be a figure of merit. 

This was a blind tasting to avoid label prejudice. The wines were selected from suggestions by members and from Bob’s research on “value wines”.  Bob did an excellent job in presentation, announcing only the varietal content or style, and instructing on how to establish a price.  We just had to fill in a price.

Here are the results.

         Wine                                             Varietals                    Peceived        Actual      Ratio

Frontera Concha Y Toro (Chile) 2008     Chardonnay                       $8.81          $4.00         2.20

Honeymoon (Calif.)  2007                            Viognier                       $11.26         $5.99        1.88

337 (Lodi Calif.)  2006                            Cabernet Sauvignon            $11.80         $9.99       1.18

Luzon (Jamilla Spain) 2007                 Monastrell/Syrah Blend             $9.73           $9.99       1.04

                         Monastrell (Mourvèdre) - 65%  Syrah - 35%      

J. Lohr (Calif.)  2006                              Cabernet Sauvignon             $15.72         $15.99       0.98

Babich (New Zealand) 2008                    Sauvignon Blanc                   $11.02         $11.99       0.92

 Clos de Los Siete 2006                     Bordeaux Blend w Syrah           $13.30          $14.99      0.89

                         Malbec - 45%   Merlot - 35%  Cab.Sauv. - 10%    Syrah - 10%

The top valued wine, Frontera Chardonnay, is produced in magnums, and the actual price reflects that of a three quarter liter bottle.  The next highest valued wine, Honeymoon Viognier, is only sold at Trader Joe’s.

The wines were accompanied by good breads and a nice variety of cheeses, a French Brie, a Spanish Manchego, and an Irish Dubliner.

Our tasters, as usual, did very well in recognizing the quality of the wines. And they had a lot of fun doing it, while finding some high value wines to buy and enjoy later as well.