Would you pay $42 for a bottle of fizzy wine? If you knew it was Champagne, you probably would. But what if it was Prosecco, a wine for which you’re accustomed to paying a fraction of the price (one-third, to be precise)? To what extent does price affect our perceptions of wine quality?

These are all interesting questions, and only the last one has a clear-cut answer: price has a significant impact on our perception of wine quality. If something is defined in your mind as expensive, you’re less likely to complain about paying a high price for it. On the other hand, many people feel disgruntled at the thought of shelling out big bucks for something that’s supposed to be a bargain.

When David Noto founded Altaneve in 2013, he was aware of these challenges. His wines are now available, and they are stunning. We don’t know if this is the future direction of the category, but one thing is certain: most popular imported wines start out with high-quality examples in the U.S., and then deteriorate as they are overproduced. With Prosecco, the process seems to be reversed.

In Glass Half Full, our roundup of the most interesting food, wine and spirits stories on the web, we examined Queen Elizabeth’s alcohol consumption, investigated a planned craft beer bar on the U.S.-Mexican border, probed whether DNA can predict your drinking habits and question whether rosé fatigue was already setting in.

Here are last week’s posts:

Altaneve: Prosecco Goes Uptown

Glass Half Full: 8/10/2017