The bottle itself costs more than the liquid inside for 80% of wine under $15. A glass bottle costs the producer $0.50 to $1.50 to make. The wine inside? Often $0.30 worth of fermented grapes. So you’re paying for a fancy container you’ll recycle within a week. It’s like buying a dress for a party, wearing it once, then donating it, but the dress costs more than the actual party.
What About Beer?
Beer rarely comes in 750ml bottles, but when it does, it’s a celebration. A 750ml of craft Belgian ale can cost $18 because it’s “bottle-conditioned.” Translation: there are dead yeast germs floating in it that make it taste like heaven. You’re paying extra for microscopic corpses to tickle your tongue. And people call me a sellout.
