Vetski
Hello! I am hoping someone with some local knowledge will be able to help me. I am having my 40th birthday party in Seminyak in October - and would like to offer my guest good qulaity wines and champagne to drink. My questions:1. Is there ANY way to be able to import my own wine and champagne from Australia (I would be looking at 2 -3 cases of bottle wine).2. Where can anyone recommend I would be able to buy wine in Bali ? - I have read that there has been serious shortages and prices are horrendously high. What prices are there?Thanks in Advance!
Blondie
HiOKFirst the picture re alcohol just isn't good but here are some possible solutions1. If you DM me i will give you the phone number of the owner of a wine shop here who will give you the best possible rates (for wine... [I]not spirits[/I]... his spirits are not cheap) and he has a [I]reasonable [/I]range... much better than most, but its not like home. His prices though, if I refer you, will beat anyone's[B]You are gong to spend a lot of money on alcohol here for a party so factor it in now.[/B]This is the way it isYou will have to make some compromises re your standard.. for example I get Stonehaven Chardonnay at 230,000 per bottle... at home Id barely drink it and its 6.50 aussie a bottle in oz, but here, its way better than your standard Jacobs Creek or Lindemans and they will run over 350,000 (its all very sad I know)2. [I]Not a snowflakes chance in Hell that you can import any wine[/I]... unless you get every guest to bring in a bottle for you as they fly in... that';s the deal.... you buy it at Uncle Dans and each guest brings in a bottle... [U][I]it IS a solution[/I][/U]3. You may want to consider the exotic aspect of a beautiful cocktail as a substitute/supplement to the wine... Once you've been here for a while wine becomes exotic, but for visitors to Bali, tropical cocktails do the trick and spirits are easier to come by and more cost effectiveMaybe a Cosmopolitan or a Mango Daquiri or Lychee MartiniGet the recipe and make them bulk/ or have them made bulk (I can give you the recipe.. )Cosmopolitan is something that anyone can drink, male /female... not too sweet... looks great and very doableI can also give you the number of a guy who will deliver Gordons, Smirnoff or Absolute to you at around 260,000 - 290,000 that's a bargain hereseems outrageous compared to home but he's wholesale compared to here... ie Carrefour charges 450,000'ish for all of the aboveAlcohol here is a problem as far as supply goes and I think the guys I have contact with are as good as its going to get[B][I]Whatever you do..l dont go Hattens[/I][/B]... your guests wont tell you, but they will remember your celebration as the one that gave them the headache of their lives after just one glass. Lets face it... wine is a cool cimate growing prodcut and the chemicals Hattens have to put in to stop it from turning in this tropical envirnment.. just turn your head around... and around... and around... plus[I]....... it tastes like absolute shit.[/I]Oh yes and I'm gone in 17 days and counting! yay!RegardsN
ronb
[B][I]Whatever you do..l dont go Hattens[/I][/B]... your guests wont tell you, but they will remember your celebration as the one that gave them the headache of their lives after just one glass. Lets face it... wine is a cool cimate growing prodcut and the chemicals Hattens have to put in to stop it from turning in this tropical envirnment.. just turn your head around... and around... and around... plus[I]....... it tastes like absolute shit.[/I][/QUOTE]WOW! - I have to disagree - you can drink Hattens all night without a headache. What influence does the tropical climate have on Hattens - mostly it is that they need to use grape varieties that grow here - so all those familiar names like Chardonnay, Shiraz, etc are not options. It's just not true that they need to add chemicals - from the time the juice is pressed from the grapes, the whole process is in a controlled environment.We have many visitors from Australia and Europe and have watched as many try Hattens - reactions differ, some don't enjoy it - so well taste is very subjective.The bad news is that with the recent changes to taxes on alcoholic drinks, Hattens seems to have gone up by about Rp20,000 to around Rp115,000.Another price observation - at the new Carrefour in Singaraja, they have a number of imported wines - many Australian for aroound Rp200,000 - have tried a couple and they are as good as Jacobs or better. These are all imported by a new importing comapny that puts a sticker on the bottles. So from the recent changes, the one that may be helping us is their decision to licnse more importers.
Vetski
Hi BlondieThanks for your time, I really appreciate your local knowledge - would love your alcohol contacts details - and while i had originally discredited cocktails, it is probably a really good option!Ronb: Thanks for your comments and suggestions too. I think though I will avoid the Hatten wine for my party!
ronb
For sure you should choose wines you are familiar with for the main party fare. But if you have people interested in wine coming to the party, then get a small supply of Hatten for "tasting". I suggest the Aga White. Another label based on North Bali grapes is Singaraja Hills - but it is not so widely available. Another one that could interest any wine tasters is Two Islands - there is a Shiraz and a Chardonnay. This is made by Hatten and the label refers to the 2 islands of Bali and Australia. Grape juice from Aussie grapes is imported to Bali (no alcohol import tax) then made into wine.
Vetski
thanks again Blondie - unfortunately I can not reply to your Per Message as I have not had 10 posts yet!CHEERS!!
sakumabali
Hatten Aga Red - dry red wine is not bad at all...too expensive but ok! Two Islands Shiraz from Hatten is better but difficult to find :icon_rolleyes: hoops ronb already posted the sameCheersMarc
Hiro
[b]Having my wedding in September[/b]Hello Blondie,Hi, I'm also planning my wedding reception in Balin in September and found this Forum in the process of looking for an affordable wine shop in Bali.Can you by any chance send me the contact info?Hiro
Blondie
[b]Wine and Spirits[/b]Hello Blondie,Hi, I'm also planning my wedding reception in Balin in September and found this Forum in the process of looking for an affordable wine shop in Bali.Can you by any chance send me the contact info?Hiro[/QUOTE]Hi Hiro Just DM'd you with all details.Please dont post the info on the open forum if you need to pass it on... please DM itRegardsN
JohnnyCool
First of all, what is... please [B]DM[/B][/QUOTE]Do you mean send a PM (personal message)?Secondly...There is [B]no[/B] such thing asan affordable wine shop in Bali[/QUOTE]these days.The way things are now, one needs to find "locals" who have contacts with those who have access to stores of booze (spirits, wines, etc). (Acquired how? Not for me to say...but they [B]are[/B] out there, [I]somewhere[/I].)Quotes like nearly anything for [I]Rp[/I] 200,000 (maximum). Unpopular or little-known brands go for around [I]Rp[/I] 125-150,000.Of course, I can't spell out specifics. Just realise that there [I]may[/I] be more "options" than what's been paraded here so far. Good luck...(finding them).:icon_e_ugeek:
Dasha
Yes Johnny what is this DM biz?I was going to reply to this one about a week ago with the "how to" bring in as much grog as you want. But my usual method has now been foiled as the guys manning the Xray machines are now within yelling distance of the baggage inspectors at the airport.So only try this if you have the balls.Last night my wife and I bought in 8 bottles of Red, 1 bottle of Grange, 2 1 liter bottles of Jack, a small bottle of Johnny - black label (for Johhny Cool) 1 bottle of Gin 1 bottle Jager and 1 bottle of vodka.In previous missions we were able to bring in as much as possible (several dozen bottles of red at any given time)as the guys on the X machine outside would chalk a red cross on your luggage which i would wipe off with a damp cloth before going through inspection. Now you have to "negotiate" your way if you get busted. My advice - keep a smile on your face - keep moving and tell the inspectors to have a nice day! No pay off required.The question is, has anyone got any clues on how to avoid the 150 k corkage charge (on my 3rd smuggled bottle of shiraz)as I sit here in the Bluefin Jap restaurant in downtown Kuta without upsetting Putu the wonderful manager who serves the best Jap fine food!
Blondie
Yes Johnny what is this DM biz?[/QUOTE] DM = direct messagefairly straightforward
Dasha
You must be new here. PM = private message - fairly straight forward?
ronb
The new wine importer, whose imports I that have seen on the Carrefour shelves, has a web-site. Take a look at [url=http://www.zerospirits.com/]Zero Spirits[/url]. They don't give prices, but do list the labels you can hope to find.
PeteD
Need a good booze supplier at reasonable prices. Anyone else have more info?Thanks,P.
scout
[b]Hatten wines[/b]For what's worth, as a humble newbie on this forum... I dont like the taste of Hatten Aga White and have found the Hatten Alexandria more palatable, if one can use that term with regards to Bali wines. I also shudder at the thought, as one previous poster mentioned bringing in a bottle of "Grange" very brave..
scout
[b]Alcohol into bali[/b]I have just re-read, twice, a post, boasting about bringing excessive quantities of alcohol into Bali.So the next poor sucker, who thinks this is the way to go, because "someone" has done it previously, and was not caught, ends up in very big trouble.I previously commented on this person being rather brave, bringing in a bottle of "grange" what vintage may i ask, and why would you bring a "cold climate" beautiful, albeit expensive wine here unless you plan to drink it pretty quick.
PeteD
I have just re-read, twice, a post, boasting about bringing excessive quantities of alcohol into Bali.So the next poor sucker, who thinks this is the way to go, because "someone" has done it previously, and was not caught, ends up in very big trouble.[/QUOTE] It's very hard to get away with it, as each bag is ex-rayed when you arrive in Bali and then marked with white chalk if they find something.
cabaicabai
The last thing people should advise others to do is play games with immigration and customs. They will have you on a plane back home so fast your head will spin.
motormouth
I disagree with the previous posts about not being able to bring in large quantities of wine/spirits to Bali. My brother arrived here last week with 30 bottles of wine and champagne, each cost @$30-40 per bottle in Oz. He paid rp2.500.00 for all the bottles, which were brought in on Virgin from Melbourne. Considering what these would be worth to buy here in Bali, it was cheap.
