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Grange – Hype and overpriced or worth every cent?

There has undoubtedly been more written and spoken about Grange than any other wine in Australia’s history. I understand that the wine search price engines receive more hits for requests on Grange than almost all the rest combined. Yet, very few of these price enquires ever result in a sale. Why?

Is Grange the most hyped overpriced wine in the history of Australia or is it worth the RRP of $330 + a bottle?

Fifteen years ago Grange could be had for what was then regarded by most people as the “overpriced amount” of $35 a bottle. Thirty Dollars! Overpriced? Wow! Well most people saw it as that in 1987. By comparison, Penfolds Bin 389 was about $12 a bottle. So what has changed?

Fifteen years ago most people were buying Grange to drink, now a large proportion of it is purchased by people hoping to make a dollar on the deal. This has caused a huge increase in demand and so Penfolds figured they may as well make the money rather than leave the quick buck for the investors. Yet still the wine sells. So who is buying it and why?

As already stated, investors purchase a huge percentage of Grange production and we will leave this percentage of the production at this point. So what happens to the rest? A certain amount of it winds up being given away as gifts. The two most popular groups are Christmas presents and corporate gifts. (Almost enough to make me want to change my religion and go back to the corporate world- grin.)

So, we are left having the balance being purchased by the “normal” Joe or Josephine wine lovers. Are they all rich professionals? No doubt some of them are, but it’s surprising how many average wine lovers have bought the odd one or two bottles of Grange and have tucked them away for that very special occasion. Many of these wine lovers rarely spend more than $40 on a bottle of wine let alone over $300 so why do they do it?

Obviously there is no one reason, but Grange is an institution and has a reputation like no other wine in our history. Frequently it is spoken of in whispers, with reverence and respect. Is it all hype? Is Grange, ten times as good a $30 bottle of wine? Absolutely not, but the experience can be worth the dollar cost.

Recently a group of us got together for a dinner in Canberra, I took along a bottle of Grange and as a result I had the opportunity to drink eight vintages of Grange. We are not talking “tasting” here, we are talking “drinking.” This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and an experience I will never forget.

I am one of those people with just a few bottles of Grange (now 3) in my cellar and I can’t afford to eat them with pizza on a casual Sunday nights dining, however if the occasion is special enough and the ambience and food good enough, then without doubt an aged Grange that is at its peak is worth every cent paid for it, or could get on the auction market, or costs you to purchase. Give it a go at least once in your life, you wont know what you are missing till you do, but make it an occasion befitting this great wine.

Cheers