超市有平靚正嗎？

我最近上了香港某大型超市的網站，查找一些價廉的紅酒。我按照價格從低到高排序，最便宜的是 M. Cellars 系列，包括 Pinot Noir（黑皮諾），Cabernet Sauvignon（赤霞珠）和 Merlot（梅洛）。這個品牌在超市裡很常見，就像他們的其他產品，例如餅乾。這些酒的售價是750ml，價格為50港元，確實非常便宜。

我開始好奇便宜的酒是否品質較差。我發現這些酒來自南非，這個國家以生產葡萄酒聞名。他們的著名葡萄酒如Meerlust Rubicon，是按法國波爾多風格釀製的，售價約為288港元。然而，M. Cellars 系列的酒並不是Meerlust Rubicon 相同的級別。

接著，我注意到 M. Cellars 的 Pinot Noir 獲得了一個金獎。實際上，很多他們的酒都打著這個金獎的廣告。但金獎真的代表高品質嗎？為了了解更多，我查了一下這個獎項。原來這是來自 Gilbert 和 Gaillard 國際挑戰賽的獎項，釀酒師可以支付約50歐元的費用參賽。比賽每月舉行，使用盲品方法以確保公平。葡萄酒按等級評分，這讓評審過程看起來很公平。

如果你上網搜索，會發現 Gilbert 和 Gaillard 幫助酒商推廣他們的產品，這可能就是為什麼很多酒會展示這些評分或獎項的原因。我了解到，"金獎"是給那些得分低於90分的葡萄酒。如果葡萄酒得分超過90分，會直接列出實際得分。因此，M. Cellars 的金獎很可能意味著他們的酒得分低於90分，但仍接近這個分數。考慮到 M. Cellars 酒的價格，這是酒商籍此給消費者帶來了一些信心。

在超市買酒很方便，而且你可能會尋找物超所值的酒。如果覺得50港元太便宜，或許你是在尋找適合慶祝的酒品。那麼，大約100港元可以買到什麼呢？我隨機選了一款法國波爾多紅酒，Château Les Bertrands，網上價格128港元。這款酒來自 Blaye Côte de Bordeaux 地區，屬於波爾多地區。標籤上寫著 "cuvee vielles vignes"，意思是用舊桶陳釀。我推測這款酒是在這些舊桶中陳釀的，使用了非常少的新橡木，因此應該有輕微的橡木味。這款酒很可能是 Cabernet Sauvignon 和 Merlot 的混合，適合搭配牛肉、豬排或帶有濃郁醬汁的肉類。

Château Les Bertrands在法國並不被視為頂級葡萄酒，對於有高標準的葡萄酒愛好者來說，這個地區可能並不特別。然而，與M. Cellars的50港元酒相比，這款酒顯然質量更好。我查了一下，發現這款酒在法國售價約為68港元，所以超市的128港元價格並不算便宜。

然後，我搜索了價格約200港元的酒，找到了一款 Reynella Basket Pressed Shiraz，售價為156港元。這款酒在澳大利亞的售價相差無幾。Reynella 在澳大利亞並不算高端品牌，但它是一個穩定、可靠的選擇。在超市裡找到這樣一款156港元的酒算是不錯的選擇。2016年的年份相當不錯，這款酒陳釀了7到8年，能在超市找到這麼成熟的澳大利亞葡萄酒還是比較罕見的。

由此可見，在超市選購葡萄酒，首先別輕易相信那些印有獎牌的產品，其次一些法國產品也不一定是超值。

I recently visited the website of a large supermarket in Hong Kong to search for some affordable red wine. I sorted the wines by the cheapest price. The most affordable option was the M. Cellars series, which includes Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. This brand is quite common in the supermarket, just like some of their other products such as biscuits. These wines are priced at HK$50 for 750ml, which is very cheap.

I wondered if cheap wines are always of lower quality. After checking the origin, I found that these wines come from South Africa, a country known for producing wine. They have popular wines like Meerlust Rubicon, which is made in a French Bordeaux style and sells for around HK$288. However, the M. Cellars wines are not in the same league as Meerlust Rubicon.

Next, I saw that the M. Cellars Pinot Noir had won a gold award. In fact, many of their wines advertise this gold award. But does a gold award guarantee quality? To understand better, I looked up the award. It turns out it comes from the Gilbert and Gaillard International Challenge, where winemakers can enter for a fee of around 50 euros. The competition is held every month and uses a blind tasting method to ensure fairness. The wines are graded by level, making the judging process seem fair.

If you search online, you'll see that Gilbert and Gaillard help wine merchants promote their products, and that’s probably why many wines display these scores or awards. I found out that the "gold award" is given for wines scoring below 90 points. If a wine scores more than 90 points, the actual score is listed instead. So, M. Cellars' gold award likely means their wines scored below 90 points, though still close to that score. Considering the price of M. Cellars wines, this gives some confidence to consumers.

Buying wine from a supermarket is convenient, and you're likely looking for good value wines. If HK$50 seems too cheap, maybe you're looking for something to celebrate with. So, what can you get for around HK$100? I randomly picked a French Bordeaux, Château Les Bertrands, priced at HK$128 online. This wine comes from the Blaye Côte de Bordeaux region, which is part of the Bordeaux area. The label says "cuvee vielles vignes," which means it was aged in old barrels. I assume the wine was aged in these barrels and that very little new oak was used, meaning it should have a light oak flavor. This wine is likely a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and it would go well with beef or pork chops, or any meat with a rich sauce.

Château Les Bertrands isn't considered a top-tier wine in France, and wine enthusiasts with high standards may not find the region particularly special. However, compared to the HK$50 M. Cellars wine, this wine clearly offers better quality. I checked and found that it sells for around HK$68 in France, so the supermarket price of HK$128 isn't particularly cheap.

I then searched for wines priced around HK$200 and found Reynella Basket Pressed Shiraz for HK$156. This wine sells for around the same price in Australia. Reynella isn't considered high-end in Australia, but it's a solid, reliable choice. Finding a wine like this for HK$156 at the supermarket is pretty good. The 2016 vintage is quite good, and with 7 to 8 years of aging, it's rare to find an Australian wine of this age at a supermarket.

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