Dear Karen, if you like the regular wine from a producer, but all you can find in a store is that producer’s “reserve” version that costs a lot more, is the reserve always dependably better?

March 6, 2026

Dear Karen, if you like the regular wine from a producer, but all you can find in a store is that producer’s “reserve” version that costs a lot more, is the reserve always dependably better? The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Dear Kelly,

Sadly, no. It would be great if you could at least count on the more expensive wine being markedly better, but I have sometimes found that the reverse is true. For example, I recently tasted two Pinot Noirs from the same producer in the same vintage. One, the “regular” wine, cost $40. The second and theoretically more special wine cost $80. But I thought the $40 wine was far, far better. So sometimes it makes sense to spring for the most expensive wine from a given producer, but unfortunately, not always.

—Karen

My Interview with Eric Asimov

EN PRIMEUR

Buying wine before it is released; also known as buying futures. Buying wine en primeur allows collectors to be more certain of securing given wines. The wines most likely to be sold en primeur are Bordeaux wines from top châteaux.