What grapes fetch, and what the making costs

The grapes for one bottle cost about a euro in everyday Bordeaux and around ten in Champagne. The wine is made the same way; the difference is what the name on the label can sell for.

Each figure is what the source publishes, in its own unit. Some regions sell grapes by the kilo or the ton; others sell the finished young wine by the barrel or the litre, and both are shown. The bars put them on one scale: a rough euro cost of the grapes, or the wine, in one 75 cl bottle, reckoning 1.3 kilos of grapes to a bottle and one dollar to 0.9 euros.

1. 

   Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, Napa County, 2025 crushNapa Valley · grapes
   $8,864–$9,002 a ton≈ ≈$12.80–≈$12.99 a bottle · 2025

   The most expensive grapes in the United States, on the strength of what Napa Cabernet sells for. Prices have slipped since the 2023 peak as demand cooled.

2. 

   Grape price, Champagne AOCChampagne · grapes
   ≈$6.16–≈$9.51 a kilo≈ ≈$8.00–≈$12.37 a bottle · 2025

   The Comité Champagne fixes how much may be picked each year, and every house needs grapes, so growers are paid more per kilo than anywhere else.

3. 

   Nebbiolo da Barolo grapesPiedmont · grapes
   ≈$3.92–≈$6.72 a kilo≈ ≈$5.09–≈$8.73 a bottle · 2024

   Grapes that may become Barolo fetch several times the price of the same variety grown outside the zone.

4. 

   Chardonnay / Pinot Noir for sparkling, Carneros and Anderson ValleyCalifornia sparkling · grapes
   $2,500–$4,500 a ton≈ ≈$3.61–≈$6.50 a bottle · 2024

   Picked early and less ripe for sparkling wine, so paid less than still-wine Chardonnay or Pinot Noir from the same districts.

5. 

   Pinot Noir grapes, Oregon averageOregon · grapes
   $2,800–$3,600 a ton≈ ≈$4.04–≈$5.20 a bottle · 2023

   Good Pinot Noir country without Burgundy’s prices, for the land or the grapes.

6. 

   Bulk Bourgogne rouge, per pièce of 228 litresBurgundy · sold as young wine
   ≈$1,114 a pièce (228 l)≈ ≈$3.66–≈$3.66 a bottle · 2024

   The regional red, sold as finished wine by the barrel. Prices rose sharply after the small 2024 crop; village and cru wines fetch many times this.

7. 

   Chianti Classico DOCG grapesTuscany · grapes
   ≈$2.44–≈$2.46 a kilo≈ ≈$3.17–≈$3.20 a bottle · 2023

   A large appellation with plenty of grapes: steady prices, and well below what the famous names of Montalcino and Bolgheri pay.

8. 

   Tempranillo grapes, RiojaRioja · grapes
   ≈$0.90–≈$1.79 a kilo≈ ≈$1.16–≈$2.33 a bottle · 2024

   Spain’s classic region grows a great deal of Tempranillo, so growers are paid little for it; the value is added by years in the cellar.

9. 

   Bulk Côtes du Rhône red, per hectolitreRhône · sold as young wine
   ≈$144–≈$167 a hectolitre≈ ≈$1.08–≈$1.25 a bottle · 2025

   The valley’s everyday red, sold as finished wine. Inter Rhône publishes a guide price to keep growers above their costs, and the market has sat below it.

10. 

    Bulk red Bordeaux AOC, per tonneau of 900 litresBordeaux · sold as young wine
    ≈$888–≈$1,119 a tonneau (900 l)≈ ≈$0.74–≈$0.93 a bottle · 2025

    Everyday red Bordeaux, sold as finished wine. There is far more of it than buyers want, so it changes hands for about a euro a litre, below what it costs to make.

11. 

    Riesling must, Mosel, per litreMosel · sold as young wine
    ≈$1.12 a litre≈ ≈$0.84–≈$0.84 a bottle · 2024

    Sold as fresh juice rather than grapes. A euro a litre after the smallest harvest in fifty years.