Hello Prince Albert! Are you familiar with the marketing concept known as “perceived value”? This is when a product image or representation of that product is created in such a way that people are willing to pay more for it. We can see this all the time in furniture stores, car dealerships and especially with smaller retail purchases like food or consumable goods. How is this concept applied to wine and the way we purchase it?
The most obvious applications of perceived value with wine are the price, and the appearance of the bottle. It is only natural for a customer to see a $100 bottle on the shelf and think “Wow! That must be a great wine!”. The perception is that something of such high cost must logically be a great product and this effect is compounded by a fancy-looking bottle. Take for instance, the Luc Belaire sparkling white with its pure white bottle, fancy gold lettering and the words “Rare” on the label. This wine is regularly $50 before tax, and I’ve always considered buying it because the bottle looks nice and the price indicates that it should be a quality wine. Here’s the good news: you can now get all the Luc Belaire wines for 50% off which means you can now try that fancy $50 bottle for $25!
I opted to try the Luc Belaire white and the Luc Belaire Bleu (blue) and I’m happy that I didn’t pay $50 for either bottle. The perception of the white bottle is that it will be high class and since it is from France, the connection is almost immediately made with the great wines of that country (Cremant, Champagne, etc.); However, the proof is in the tasting, and both wines let me down after building up my expectations. Don’t get me wrong, the flavors of the white are light, crisp, fruity and creamy, but the bitterness and lack of complex flavors bump the score down somewhat. The white will taste better with some appetizers which help cancel out the bitter notes, so I recommend trying it with some savory snacks like fried foods or delicious hard cheeses.
Now let’s talk about the Belaire Bleu which has the words “Limited Edition” on the front label. Once again, at a regular price point of $50, the perception is that this must be some fancy, exotic wine, what could be bad about that? Then there’s the color. Alright, the color scares me a little (radioactive Smurf blue) but all kidding aside, I’m not one to judge too harshly until I’ve sampled the wine. The flavors of blue raspberry and candies explode on the palate, but the depth ends there. The flavors drop off very quickly and leave the tastebuds and tongue with a numbing bitterness which unfortunately wipes out most of the good flavors from the mid-palate. While the palate can be cleansed of the bitterness by taking another intensely fruity sip of the wine, the bitterness rushes back in every time, making me hesitate to reach for more than a few sips.
Diving deeper into the wording on the Belaire Bleu label, I found something that made me laugh out loud. As mentioned many times, alcohol companies are required to follow strict rules and regulations when labeling their products as to not mislead their consumers/customers. In this case, the wine is a “Product of France” and while the white wine simply states, “Sparkling Wine”, the Belaire Bleu has a string of words which states that the wine is a “Flavored Sparkling Wine-Based Beverage”. Notice how it doesn’t state that it is technically a wine, but essentially a higher-end version of a mixed wine beverage like Girl’s Night Out or those Sangria drinks that taste so sweet they make your teeth hurt. There is nothing wrong with those products, but they certainly don’t sell for $50 a bottle either. My disappointment comes from the expectation of a great experience (informed by the $50 price tag) and the perception that the wine should reflect the quality of a $50 product (it didn’t).
Luc Belaire Rare Wine Demi-Sec: (Product of France). Medium-dry sparkling white with thin, quick-moving bubbles and a pale gold color. The nose is fruity with pears, citrus, cookies/biscuits and a slightly funky note of cheese/animal. On the palate, the wine has a pleasing, creamy texture with a medium body and frothy carbonation. Medium acidity and medium-plus intensity. The bubbles disappear quickly after the initial frothy mouthfeel, leaving sweet accents of pears, apples and butterscotch. While the flavors are enjoyable on the medium-length mid palate, they drop off quickly on the finish with a touch of bitterness which tends to take over the flavors near the end. Overall, the wine is tasty but the bitter note at the end hurts the score slightly. A bit of food helps cut that bitter note. Decent price for the quality. Good! $25, 12.5% ABV
Luc Belaire Limited Edition Bleu: (Product of France). Off-dry to medium-dry sparkling wine with light, fizzy carbonation and a cotton-candy blue color (yikes!). The nose leans into artificial flavors/aromas territory with vibrant scents of blue raspberry candies (does anyone remember Screaming Saucers candy?), floral rose syrup, tropical fruits and an unfortunate gassiness. To the taste, the first flavors that come to mind are blue Freezies and blue raspberry candies with an excellent intensity and concentration. The foam/bubbles have a nice creamy texture and a light body, making the wine crisp and flavorful. High acidity gets the tastebuds excited and the mouth watering, but the flavors disappear quickly as a strange bitterness takes over the flavor profile. The bitter finish makes the wine taste closer to a cough syrup and even though the medium-length finish has enjoyable notes of flowers and sweet candy, the sticky bitterness takes on a cloying aspect. This wine is better suited for desserts. Average. $25, 12.5% ABV
Cheers and thanks for reading!
