Would You Spend $168,000 For A Bottle Of Wine?

Ever wondered if the top shelf bottles of wine are really worth the extra bucks?  Turns out they might be, but probably not for the reason you think.  Recent research reveals that people enjoy wine more when it costs more.  Not necessarily because the money indicates a higher quality or better taste, but because of the social cache that goes along with drinking a fine wine.

This news might be enough to sway a few contemplating purchasing the $168,000 bottle of wine that Penfolds, an Australian winery, just released.  The company claims that the wine is made from some of the oldest continously producing Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the world.  Of course, this isn't a slap dash show here.  Each bottle must be aged perfectly and housed in a bottle that deserves a place in the museum.  This 750 ml glass bottle may look like a syringe, but is actually a hand-blown work of art designed by Nick Mount and crafted by Ray Leake.

But is this wine worth anything more than bragging rights and a new art piece for the mantel place?  According to wine critic James Suckling, the wine has a layered taste filled with dimension.  The price might not, however, be enough to influence sommeliers who can discern the difference between a good-cheap wine and poor-expensive bottle.  

The question remains, who is willing to plunk down $168,000 for a bottle of wine?  Hopefully you'll be invited to that dinner party.