How Wine Prices Have Changed

You might have noticed that I complain about wine prices. A lot. Maybe I'm just jaded, or spoiled since I've been buying wine for so long, or perhaps my standard of living has simply eroded. Then again, I've grown more mature and understand the actual value of things and how hard I'm willing to work for them like never before.

No matter what the cause, it seems to me that wine prices have gotten totally out of hand, forcing many of my favorite wines out of the realm of ordinary drinkers. My being a somewhat ordinary drinker, as opposed to taster, probably is the root cause of my frustration.

So am I on to something or is it emotion distorting my perspective? There is only one way to find out. Let's take a look at wine prices 25 years ago and today. We'll compare the same bottle of wine in both years, as well as for the same wine in corresponding vintages. I've dug into my stash of old wine catalogs and found the fall 1986 Crossroads catalog for reference. Let's begin our journey back to the '80s with a look at France.

Click here for the How Wine Prices Have Changed Slideshow.

— Gregory Dal Piaz, Snooth