Wine 8 min

Cheap Wine

On industrial winemaking, additives, and what is actually in the bottle

The usual narrative for wine in January is "inexpensive," "value-oriented," or "easy on the wallet" — any way possible to say cheap wine without saying the word cheap and its value-less connotation. It's a virtual minefield. Here's a map.

Take, for instance, a wine addition called Mega Purple. Drip a few drops of this thick, gooey substance into a barrel of wine and you can simultaneously increase sweetness and mouthfeel, dramatically darken the color, and add a syrupy, jammy richness to the flavor. Wikipedia says that Mega Purple is used by almost every low to moderate value wine producer under twenty dollars.

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