Around 85 percent of Americans receive a tax refund, according to numbers released by the IRS. Better yet, in 2015, each person received an average of $3,120. That’s a lot of great wine purchases.
Of course, not everyone gets that big of a chunk of change back. And, according to a survey by interest rate website GoBankingRates, only five percent of Americans use their tax refunds to splurge on a purchase. But all those people not splurging on a good bottle of wine are missing out. Do you really need another excuse to both get over tax season and enjoy wine you wouldn’t normally spend so much money on?
So, without further ado, here are the wines you should buy depending on how big your tax refund is (or how much of that tax refund you’re willing to spend on wine).
$50 — 2008 Charles Heidsieck Brut
Your refunds are dismal, but don’t be disheartened. You can still get a good bottle of wine for $50. Get a bottle of Charles Heidsieck Champagne to make that $50 feel extravagant. It tastes both light and rich at the same time, just like how you’ll feel when you get your tax refund check.
$100 — 2009 Cos Contrada
Still not a great tax refund. But for $85, you can buy the purest expression of Nero d’Avola VinePair has ever tasted. Get on this bottle and delight your taste buds. Then buy whatever you want with that extra $15.
$500 — 2013 Araujo Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc
Summer is just around the corner and that means you’re going to be hanging out with friends and you’re going to be doing it outdoors. Buy five bottles of Araujo Sauvignon Blanc for $97 each and get ready for the classiest, tax-refund-subsidized party of the year.
$1,000 — 1990 Château Latour Grand Vin
It’s your thousand dollars, do with it as you wish. But if you have one bottle of wine you’d like to blow it all on, get a 1990 Château Latour Grand Vin. The premier grand cru wine is life changing and just good enough to justify giving your tax refund to your taste buds rather than your savings account.
$2,000 — 2014 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon
Screaming Eagle is one of the original Napa Valley cult wines and it’s very hard to get. But if you feel like waving your $2,000 tax refund around the right people, you might be able to score a bottle. Not to mention owning said bottle will give you some cache in the wine world for the next decade or so until you drink it (or sell it for a nice return).
$3,000 or more — Party
You can seek out a $3,000 bottle, but if you’re getting into the $3,000-plus range, your best bet is to celebrate with friends. Have a lot of friends? Get 60 bottles of Charles Heidsieck Brut. Fewer friends? Try to get multiple bottles of 1990 Latour. No friends? Buy two bottles of Araujo Sauvignon Blanc every month. No matter how you do it, you should celebrate your large refund with more than one bottle of good wine.
