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 Jacob’s Creek Sparkling Brut NV (Pernod Ricard India) won the Best Wine Matching Butter Chicken Award at the recently announced India Wine Awards in Mumbai. The ubiquitous bubbly seemed to be out of stock but the other, and I feel better variant- Jacob’s Creek Sparkling Rose Brut NV is still available at $12 and is undoubtedly the best value-for-money wine at the DDF for a novice or someone not familiar with what to buy ‘cheap and best’. Not only that, the attractive price of this quaffable bubbly has remained fixed for as far back as one remembers. (Curiously, Prosecco Carpenè Malvolti priced at a delicious $22 is supposed to be placed next to it but was out-of-stock.)
 Things don’t look as rosy or bubbly when you glance through the two big shelves neatly stacking separately Red Wines and White Wines. The countries of origin have been separated with the help of flags from the countries or origin. It is encouraging to see the Indian flag once again, with Sula ruling the roost in the Gifts from India section. Priced at $13, the India Wine Award medal winner Sula Riesling is marginally cheaper than the local retail price though Dindori Shiraz is a better buy at $9.
Maison Albert Bichot, Chablis Blanc, Domaine Long-Depaquit 2015 imported by Aspri Spirits was the choice of the jury as the best international white wine. Priced at $48 it is one of the few award winning wines available at DDF but appears to be overpriced, considering the Wine-Searcher average global retail price is only $21(these  prices include the retail prices of all the listed establishments including the countries where they are heavily taxed, making the average price higher than in some of the western countries like the US, UK, Italy, France or Spain).
Transiting through Istanbul on my way to Madrid to judge at Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, I noticed that at the Istanbul Duty Free Airport (IDF), the higher quality- by- classification, Michel Laroche Chablis Prem Cru La Chantrerie (Wine-Searcher at $ 27) listed it at € 26 ($29). For the uninitiated, Chablis is a white gem from Burgundy-made from Chardonnay grapes and has 4 levels of quality-Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru and Chablis Grand Cru). Michel Laroche is an equally well-respected producer of Chablis wines.
Strange Case of Dr. L Riesling from Dr. Loosen
 Last year during one of my foreign visits, I noticed ‘Monsoon Offer’ at flat 50% discount on several wines at DDF, notable among them being Dr. L Riesling from Dr. Loosen. It was marked down from the regular price of $26 to $13 each. I bought 2 bottles on every trip and recommended strongly to our readers to pick up through any of their friends travelling overseas.. Slightly on the sweet side, it is an entry level Riesling from one of the great producers of Riesling in Mosel and a perfect white wine for a wine lover starting the journey into the wonderful world of wine. I have visited this German winery and met the owner Ernie Loosen on many occasions.
I stopped buying it when the offer was withdrawn as it was not a great buy at $26. Priced now at $38, it is priced outrageously. A random search on the internet shows it’s available at a regular liquor store in New York- Leisers at $11.99. If you order through internet, it is available for $8.59. Average price on Wine-Searcher is $12. One of my readers informs me that in England, the street price including all the duties and VAT is under £12.
 Take another case of Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc. Till almost a year back, it was selling for $19 at the DDF. One wonders what changed in the wine scenario that the price has been jacked up to $45.
Or the case of Rupert & Rothschild Merlot- Cabernet Sauvignon, that sold for around $20 earlier and was a great South African Bordeaux Blend Buy. Now at $35 it is not worth considering, when you know you can buy it in international retail for an average of $18.
Twin Packs
 We Indians are suckers for deals- there is no better example than at the Delhi Duty Free Shop where there are numerous offers of free wheelies with 2 bottles of scotch. I am not ashamed to admit that I picked up 2 bottles of Johnny Black at $76 since there was a free offer on a nice 4-wheeled beautiful carry-on bag (many of my friends still prefer Black Label). There is 5% additional discount on most products if you book and pay in advance and pick up on arrival.
 I have been suggesting with no effect that to attract the buyer, it is important to give them such sweeteners. To start with, a discount of 10-20% on the price of a single bottle, if you buy in a box of 2 would be nice. Not only is it easier to carry the wines but chances of breakage are reduced. You don’t need to be a marketing genius to figure out it is possible in many cases (think Dr. L!).
I was pleased to notice that at the Istanbul Airport there were many such deals available. As an instance, Mouton Cadet is priced at €12.50 per bottle. But when bought in a box of 2, the price comes down to € 17.50 for 2 or € 8.75 each- a discount of 30%! There is a discount of 15% on Lucente (€54), Castelgicondo Brunello di Montalcino (10%), Moet Chandon (25%), Cheval Noir (15%) and a few other bundles. The customer may not buy these wines, but he is at least tempted to browse seriously for buying some other wine-it could depend on the smartness of the salesman, if there is any.
Higher Prices on a majority of wines
 Dr. L is not the lone example where the price is almost 3-fold! Even without taking into the Twin Pack offer, Mouton Cadet sells for €12.50 ($14) at Istanbul Duty Free shop (IDF). At $ 30 at DDF it is priced at more than twice the price.
Nipozzano Chianti Reserva Frescobaldi at $40 sounds interesting to a novice. But again, it is more than twice the price of €17.50 ($19) at IDF.
 Lucente sells for a whopping $75 at DDF while the price is less than half at IDF at €28.5 ($30). Another Tuscan beauty from Frescobaldi, Luce is only 40% higher at $160 compared with €105 ($115) at IDF, except that it gets a lot more respect there by being stored in a temperature controlled wine cellar.
There does not seem to be a logical or rational explanation for the pricing strategy. Unless FSAAI is a villain of the piece, or simply higher overheads for the sale of a bottle of wine, it is difficult to comprehend the inexplicable high prices of the Delhi Duty Free Shop, which seems to have decided to label wine as a luxury product like Gucci, Mont Blanc or Chanel.
The only plausible explanation I get at the store is that Chinese are their biggest customers and not only are they price-insensitive; they like to pick up what is most expensive. If you are not price-sensitive, the streamlined new area at the DDF is a pleasure to browse around. Please remember it has been moved to the extreme left instead of earlier extreme right as you walk out of the immigration control at the Arrivals. And the 5% discount on pre-booking at Departure, for pick-up on Arrival, is the only genuine offer in the wine section, a 50% discount offer on the Blue sparkling wine, sulking in a corner somewhere in a bottom shelf notwithstanding.
And remember my wine slogan:
Double the Pleasure
Double the fun, in
Delhi Duty Free, at
Double the Price
Subhash Arora
For earlier article please visit
Jacobs Creek Brut Best Buy as variety increases at Duty Free Delhi Airport |