Wine, prices, importing, availibility

[Sanurian]

Well, I admittedly skimped over the above posts but I feel that I should add some perspective to the discussion.

Buying wines, (even spirits), from whatever country and quality, in 'supermarkets', 'specialty food places', etc, in Bali is always going to be expensive. Simple as that. The 'trick' is to find the legitimate suppliers who charge a more or less realistic price. There are many 'booze-jockies' around the island who will sell you almost anything you want, even cheaper. But - they're not always there when you really want them, meaning they're not 100% reliable. (And you have to be careful that what they bring you is not adulterated in some way.)

There's no way in the world I'll front up to the wine/spirits sections of places like Bali Deli, Makro, Hardy's, et cetera. They all charge like wounded bulls! Why would anybody want to pay, for example, Rp 220,000+ (or more), for a bottle of mere Johnny Walker Red label when the 'real price' is about Rp 142,000 (or less)?

Whichever way one goes, one will not always get what one wants but it's not that hard to get what one 'needs' at the time. Unless one is 'in a hurry', 'in love', 'on a tropical romance holiday', and so forth.

 

[Thorsten]

I prefer it at room temperature in a large roundish claret glass accompanying a fine filet mignon medium rare...

Hey Roy, room temperature doesn't mean Balinese room temperature, but please no ice cubes in it!
I guess Kobe beef should suit the Lafite - some ketchup for it? :wink:

...but given a current opportunity, I wouldn’t pass it up...on someone else’s expense account of course!

That's a great idea, when you found a sponsor for the Lafite and the Kobe beef, please let me know and we will have a party! :lol:

best regards
Thorsten

 

[tintin]

This Xmas, some of my family from France and my kids from California will be spending one week at my home, in Winchester, MA, during which time serious drinking is planned. The price bottle will be an Imperial Corregidor Sherry. The Oloroso Sherry from the Mother Cask
was selected in 1895 by Albert George Sandeman, great-grandfather of the present head of the house of Sandeman. 660 bottles of this nectar were exclusively shipped to the City of Boston in 1975, to commemorate the eightieth birthday of (the old bastard) conductor, Arthur Fliedler. This is one of the last two bottles I have left from the original case. Let me tell you, each sip of it is like swallowing a rainbow…

There will also be a couple of Mouton Rothschild, 1970 (my last 2), various Bourgognes (among which, Clos des Mouches, 1971, Chambolle Musigny les Amoureuses, 1970), and of course, my favorite, Chateau Lafitte Rothschild, 1969, and the much better, 1970. Since the “French crew” works only with Champagne, there will also be a case of “bubbly” from California, the kind made by Roderer or Moet et Chandon, which are excellent sparklings, but not the over-priced French Champagne (at $45/bottle, average).

Now that I have your attention and got you drooling, I put my two cents’ worth regarding wines. I find that wine is like a HiFi. I have what I consider a good HiFi system. My friend claims to have a better one. How can he describe it to me? He cannot, because it can only be experienced. So he invites me for a demonstration, and I can judge for myself, and see the difference (better or worse). Wines are the same. Disregarding a bottle of vinegar or an average vintage, the top wines can only be experienced, as words, no matter how imaginative and poetic, cannot do justice to them. It’s like trying to describe colors to a blind man. However, I have found that once you have tasted a particular good wine, you still may not be able to describe it appropriately, but you will remember the taste of it for a long time, if not forever.

And when some people decree that a certain wine at $12-15/bottle is as good as a Chateau Laffite, it is because they never have experienced a Chateau Laffite in their lives. :cry:

For you all wine lovers on this forum, I believe it would be interesting to hear about your memory, including the circumstances, of the best wine you ever tested. Through it, you could re-live this wonderful moment. What about it?

 

[twain]

Wine is very expensive in Bali, in my opinion. There are only 4-5 company for all over Indonesia that could legally importing Alcholic Beverages to Indonesia! Given the circumstances that the wine imports is almost a monopoly the price is skyrocketed, not enough healthy competition from the importers to bring in a good values wine. I'm in the US at the moment and even Target and Costco have a better wine line up than most Bali's hotel and Resto that I knew. :cry:

 

[Roy]

Daniel, finally a voice of reason, and expressed with passion on this forum regarding fine wines! I guess Thorsten has already shared his personal experiences with fine vintages...slurping away on them with his dad while having his breakfast cereal when only 10 years old!

Since you asked, my own personal best experience was a ’59 Mouton Rothschild, and a ’61 Lafite Rothschild. Both were the finest wine that has ever graced my tongue and both I had stored very carefully for a number of years before the right night came along for their unsurpassable pleasure to be enjoyed. I opened both wines in the early 1980’s. Both were opened at small dinner parties with very close friends and served with the main course of fillet mignon. As I wrote before, it was as though an angel was pissing on our tongues.

Your quote is spot on:

And when some people decree that a certain wine at $12-15/bottle is as good as a Chateau Lafite, it is because they never have experienced a Chateau Lafite in their lives.

Sounds like your home is the place to be this Christmas. Enjoy!

 

[DCC]

With all due respect my dear fiends, and this comes at you from a wine lover, but to those complainers your b-tching about the price, or quality, of wine in Bali is akin to bagging on the quality of lake Erie surf! You know the downhill skiing sucks here, too....on the other hand I just enjoyed a 1 hour massage for the grand total of $4.

 

[DCC]

And Daniel could you please give us a lengthy post report on the pleasures you are certain to enjoy in the near future, no wrong in living vicariously through others .

 

[Thorsten]

Seems there is a sponsor in sight for the wine Roy, now let’s find somebody for the Kobe beef and I will donate the ketchup 8)

Cereals ??? No way – hate the bird food and always did!
Of course I was not sitting at the table with dad and knocked down 3 bottles of heavy tongue paralyser at the age of 10 yrs, but here a half glass and there a glass of champagne from time to time at dinner, what I wanted to say was, I got used to wine already very soon (just like many kids in France) and had lots of opportunities to develop something like a taste for wine.

I don’t need a R. Parker assessment to recognise a good wine, although I don’t know how angel’s pee will taste – never met one personally :cry:
My x-mas will be without Chateau Lafite, but maybe a nice Chardonnay, then probably a St. Emillion Grand Cru and as the undertaker a Rioja.

Best regards
Thorsten

 

[Roy]

Thorsten, forget Parker. Read tintin, aka Daniel.

May your holiday be blessed, full of health and happiness. And may your future bring among thee an angel of God, sent by the French, to piss upon your needy tongue with their true elixir, so you too can find the path away from the poisons of the lesser would be Gods.

Like I said earlier amigo, some folks truly love great wine, and drink it without pretension. You’ve made it clear already that you aren’t one of them.

 

[zonobono]

i'll give twenty bottles of st.whatever for a good bottle of rioja. :!: yessir

 

[tintin]

Ole! A Rioja from the Bodegas Marqués de Cáceres! Now, we're talking. Somewhat expensive for my everyday wine, but for any other occasions, perfect, and at a perfect price. Try the Crianze or the Reserva (I've never drunk the Gran Reserva).

 

[Thorsten]

Roy,

while you can keep dreaming of great wines, I will be drinking 8)
You are invited in my house with your whole family whenever you'll make it to Germany, as long as you want, I promise you will have 10 glasses of wine in front of you without any further info, then we will see what you will know about wine 8)

best reagards
Thorsten

PS: Take this serious, although there will be NO 1959 Lafite !

 

[Roy]

Many thanks for the invite Thorsten. It’s “in the cards” some not too many years from now to do a good “road trip” of Europe with the whole family. I was 17 on my first European tour. I can still remember using the bidets as urinals! Silly me, as Mr. Bean would say.

I saw Dave the other day and he asked me to pass on a "hi." Best wishes for a great Christmas and we all look forward to seeing you in Bali one of these days again soon.

 

[Sanurian]

Hmmm...'wine', 'best wines'...

I think the best wine I ever had was with my second 'serious girlfriend'. (Nancy Woodhouse, or was that Nancy Woodbush?)

No idea what the brand, vintage, or origin was of the wine. Didn't really matter then. But probably cheap 'n nasty because we were both well under the legal drinking age. Then again.....
Sorry, 'drifting away'.
L8R.

:arrow:

 

[twain]

Roy,

I got close to 1000 botle of wine on my underground cellar @ the resto. Maybe after I got back we try to find the rioja somewhere down there :shock:

 

[Thorsten]

Thanks Roy,

Forward my best wishes to David too and maybe it could be sooner that you will think for a Martini together at Nuri’s :wink:

Last year, I had Carlos and his wife Nargish here from India, you will probably remember him posting on the BTF since some years, picked them up at Frankfurt airport and they were our guests for two days before starting a trip through some different countries, great people!
Carlos loves beer, so had a selection of many different beers here, unfortunately due the long flight or maybe due the German beer, he was not getting very far with the beer test :roll: :wink:

best regards
Thorsten

 

[Roy]

Twain, many thanks for your invite. Pooking around your wine cellar sounds like it would be a blast!

Thorsten, have a great time. Just remember, one only "rents" beer!