Dumbing Down Wines

[Chuck]

Have noticed recently that some wines that have been good in previous vintages appearing at ridiculously cheap prices. But be careful. It would seem they are reducing the quality. Recent example - saw the Houghtons 2008 MR Cabernet for $14.00 (normally around $25.00) and bought one bottle to try before potentially buying more. Clearly a one dimensional inferior wine compared to the recently tried and yummy 2001 version and from what may have been young or over irrigated vines or both. Boring stuff. Maybe the new label is a guide. Sign of the times?

Chuck

[n4sir]

It isn't exactly a new issue - these favourite wines labels usually lose their resources to a more expensive wine in the hierarchy. In the past a bit of tricky marketing could stop the wine being discounted accordingly - an even cheaper label would be introduced in an effort to prop-up the price point of the original one, but that's become much more difficult to try with the ever increasing surplus of wine on the local market. I remember posting this relating to the same issue five years ago:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2589

Cheers,
Ian

[Decca]

The 'old' Houghtons MR Cab, part of the GI range, became the Houghtons 'Wisdom' label as from the 2004 vintage. Same quality and price.

So, in this case, the 2008 MR Cab is not exactly a dumbed down wine, rather it's a new label, albeit with an ambiguous name.

Koonunga Hill! Now there's a wine that's been dumbed down. Nearly tannin free, some of it.

[Waiters Friend]

Have noticed recently that some wines that have been good in previous vintages appearing at ridiculously cheap prices. But be careful. It would seem they are reducing the quality. Recent example - saw the Houghtons 2008 MR Cabernet for $14.00 (normally around $25.00) and bought one bottle to try before potentially buying more. Clearly a one dimensional inferior wine compared to the recently tried and yummy 2001 version and from what may have been young or over irrigated vines or both. Boring stuff. Maybe the new label is a guide. Sign of the times?

Chuck

You're not 'Two Buck Chuck' by any chance Given the topic........

Just joking, and being a Western Australian, I can fully appreciate the changes in labels and wine styles in Houghton's (and to a lesser extent Sandalford's) wines as their markets shift and their grape sources mature. I've also known a couple of people working there (although no longer) and been privy to intended shifts in style. Does anyone remember the 'classic dry white' of the late 1980s? It was actually quite palatable until everyone did it, then the original makers had to pull in younger material to compete with the plethora of CDWs. There was also a reason Evans & Tate moved to Margaret River in the late 1990s - their fruit sources there had matured, while their markets for Swan / Gingin wines were stagnant.

Cheers

Allan

[Chuck]

It used to be 10 buck Chuck when the ankle biters same on the scene 17 years ago. Now its 30 buck Chuck and feeling much better.

Chuck