Mike Steinberger’s argument is simple: The more expensive the wine, the better it tastes—so what’s the harm in spending more to celebrate a special occasion?
To me, the only persuasive argument against costly wines is a slightly picayune one: fear of TCA, or 2, 4, 6 trichloroanisole. TCA is a chemical compound that is harmless to you but lethal to your wine, giving it an off-putting damp cardboard aroma and rendering it lifeless on the palate; when you hear people talking about “corked” wines, this is what they mean, and it is estimated that as many as 5 percent to 10 percent of wines sealed with natural cork are tainted this way. If it is a $10 Côte du Rhône you bought last week, no big deal; you bring it back to the store and exchange it. But if it is a 1986 Ramonet Montrachet that’s been sleeping in your basement for 15 years, you’re screwed: The wine is undrinkable, and the store that sold it to you—if it is still in business—is not going to refund your money 15 years after the cash register rang.
So, why splurge on wine you really can’t afford? The practical answer is that if you are interested in wine and want to understand what turns people like me into eno-fanatics, you need to experience something other than $8 Merlots. To hone an appreciation of wine, you need to taste top-drawer stuff—not every day, not necessarily once a month, but often enough that you develop a sense of just how good wine can get and what distinguishes the princely stuff from the plonk. No doubt, there are drinkers who will never be able to differentiate a Grand-Puy-Lacoste from a Gallo Hearty Burgundy, but there aren’t very many people with palates that leaden; even the completely uninitiated can usually recognize a high-quality wine when they taste one.
The perfect companion to Makor’s 
