Cult wines are those for which dedicated groups of committed enthusiasts will pay large sums of money. Such wines include, for example, Screaming Eagle from California, Penfolds Grange from Australia, and Galardi Terra di Lavoro from Italy, among many others.
Cult wines are often seen as trophy wines to be collected or as investments to be held rather than consumed. Because price is often seen as an indicator of quality, high prices often increase the desirability of such wines. This is true even for less expensive wines. For example, one vintner explained that "on several occasions we have had difficulty selling wines at $75, but as soon as we raise the price to $125 they sell out and get put on allocation".[1]
Others wines that fall under the title occasionally are from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhône and Italy.
These wines when scored highly by Robert Parker have had a tendency to increase in price resembling the Bordeaux investment market.[2]
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California cult wines refers to any of the California wines "typically but not exclusively Napa Valley Cabernets" for which collectors, investors and highly enthusiastic consumers will pay very high prices.The producers of such wines include Araujo, Bryant Family, Caymus, Colgin Cellars, Dalla Valle Maya, Diamond Creek, Dominus Estate, Dunn Howell Mountain, Grace Family, Harlan Estate, Hundred Acre, Kistler, Saxum Vineyards, Marcassin, Ovid, Scarecrow, Screaming Eagle, Opus One, Shafer Hillside Select, Sine Qua Non and Sloan.
These wines are generally very expensive and are limited production (often fewer than 600 cases per year) and can command several times their "release price" upon release.