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by geocar 2540 days ago
A certain amount of that is certainly tongue-in-cheek. I think if you compare a $20 wine in California to a €10 wine you buy somewhere along the Garonne, you're probably going to enjoy the French wine more.

But we're talking about what changes buying-behaviour, and it's important to consider that as a savvy shopper in the US you can go into a wine shop and buy everything under $20, and you'll find local wins. That's how you anchor your expectations about prices and quality. Now whether that's because of duty/import or it's because of shipping, or it's simply because only big brands will bother exporting is, or any other reason, those reasons are out of scope simply because a tariff isn't going to change them in the slightest.
1 comments
user5994461 2540 days ago
For reference, French wine in France can be had for 3 or 4 euros a 75 cl bottle.

That's for good wine. There are cheaper wines available of course.

If you're saying $20, you must be talking about a 6 pack ;)

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pyrale 2540 days ago
> For reference, French wine in France can be had for 3 or 4 euros a 75 cl bottle.

This legend about french cheap wine is getting better and better everytime I hear it. 3-4€ is the low price for wine in a bottle. Some are decent, some are utter shit. But that's not "for good wine". That's entry level, which sometimes is decent.

I know some of the export wine is cooking-grade shit and people don't know the difference. But for people versed in wine in the US, the €3-4 bottles aren't going to cut it.

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user5994461 2538 days ago
I don't know how it is in a WallMart in the US but in a French Carrefour there can be a 20 meter long aisle dedicated to wines and spirituous, possibly both sides of the aisle.

That's a huge selection covering all types of wine for as little as a few euros. Price is not a predictor of anything, there are both good and bad wines all over the place.

Wine is truly a commodity in France. There are very few people paying 10€ a bottle unless you're talking Champagne, that's not considered a wine.

edit: See for yourself https://www.carrefour.fr/r/boissons-et-cave-a-vins/cave-a-vi...

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pyrale 2537 days ago
I am french. I know the supermarkets, and still I frequently buy bottles above 10€. My demographic is not small, there are just many people that can't afford storage space for bottles and don't want to buy entry-level wine.
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