Fine wines taste different from mass-produced wines for the same reasons that heirloom tomatoes from your garden taste different from supermarket tomatoes.

This is driven more by wine’s raw material than by the winemaking process itself. The grapes for value-oriented wines are cultivated very differently from those destined for super-premium wines, even if they are of the same varietal and grown in the same appellation.

Vineyards for bulk wine and premium wines are managed with opposing priorities in terms of agricultural philosophy, and productivity in terms of tons of fruit grown per acre of vineyard land.

Marnie Old is one of the country’s leading wine educators. Formerly the director of wine studies for Manhattan’s French Culinary Institute, she is best known for her visually engaging books published by DK such as Wine: A Tasting Course and her popular Wine Simplified series of wine tutorials on YouTube. Marnie currently serves as director of vinlightenment for Boisset Collection.