Remember all that stuff you’ve heard about those blind VODKA taste tests and how Bankers Club beat Belvedere or some crap like that? Well, here we go again, except with WINE .

Check out this NY Times article

Basically, it says that the more people think a wine is worth, the better it tastes. In fact, they found this is true for all consumer goods! So then, why bother buying the more expensive bottle? Well, why wear a T-Shirt that say “Armani Exchange” when you could wear a similar shirt emblazoned with “Old Navy”? The answer: because, damn it, we want to.

That’s right. Because we feel like. Sure, sometimes I like to know that the vineyard has sustainable growing practices or old premium vines, but I am equally as susceptible to images of an adorable antelope on the bottle or the lustrous metallic paper the label is printed on. Certainly we use price as a baseline to make our decisions (Do I like them enough to bring over a $35 bottle?; will my date know this wine only cost $7.99?) and to give us a baseline estimate of what the wine should taste like (this Two Buck Chuck ought to smell like the stuff they delve out on those trans-atlantic American Airlines flights).

But at the end of the day if you are happy the way your Charles Schaw Sauvignon Blanc pairs with your frozen Trader Joe’s pizza, then who cares? (That is pretty much my Tuesday regimen)

However, I do admit that on Saturday night I prefer to pair my seared scallops with Ridge’s 2005 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay.. but, hey..