Published NZME Regional Newspapers Tue 15 Mar 2016
One of the most common questions I’m asked next to “Mum where are my socks?” and “Do you know where the toilets are? (I must have one of those ‘she-knows-where-the-toilets-are faces)?” Is “Yvonne why must I pay so much money to buy a bottle of wine in a restaurant, when I can get it from the supermarket for next to nix?” It’s an issue which reared its complex head recently after Foreign Minister Murray McCully was charged $733 for just four bottles of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc (usually $36 in a supermarket here in NZ) when he went to a restaurant in Papua New Guinea recently. So how much is too much to pay?
Standard markups for wine in restaurants here in NZ is usually anywhere between 180% and 300%. If you’re a grizzleguts who bemoans the cost of buying wine in a restaurant when compared to the price of the same wine in a supermarket – here’s why you need to get over it.
In a restaurant you are NOT paying for the WINE. You are paying for the EXPERIENCE of being out in a restaurant. The atmosphere, the groovy, interesting food, treating yourself to having someone else cook for you and serve you, and experiencing the thrill of being out of the house doing something special. But restaurants also have to make enough money to give you that experience.
The standard business profit equation is approximately 1/3 cost + 1/3 overhead + 1/3 profit = the price. For starters, restaurants have nowhere near the buying power of supermarkets. For you to sit in that restaurant, drinking that glass of wine, they’ll also be paying rent alongside power bills to run the dishwashers to keep the glasses clean, the fridges to keep the whites cold and the air conditioners to stop you from overheating. There are taxes and compliance costs, plus they’re paying their staff and giving them training.
If you don’t want to pay for that, then by all means pop down to Pak n Save, buy an $8 bottle of Chateau Slurparge and sip it in your socks and track pants while hoovering mince on toast for the third time this week.
On the other hand, if you’re the type of restaurant that charges more than 300% markup on a bottle of widely available wine, then I believe you’re just inviting irritation from exactly the type of person (who instead of expanding their horizons) chooses to order wine that they regularly get on special at the supermarket. Sigh.
Penny’s Hill Cracking Black Shiraz 2013 $25 ★★★★½
Named after the way that the soils dry out so much they crack and break the roots of the vines (which is actually a good thing because it controls the natural vigour of the vine) this shiraz has all those desirable pepper, liquorice, cocoa dust and cherry-berry characters you’d expect for this price. But then it really ramps things up with a full, generously meaty mouthfeel and a long, deliciously dusty finish. www.federalmerchants.co.nz
Kalex Central Otago Rose Brut 2012 $39 ★★★★
I love the pretty rose-gold colour in the glass, but we all know looks aren’t everything. So I was reassured to find it has alluring aromas of shrewsbury biscuit, berry bagel and soft, toasted nutty flavours in the mouth, followed by a hint of cherry on the finish. It’s a lovely example of a southern sparkler. www.kalexwines.co.nz
Mills Reef Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2015 $24 ★★★★½
I love the aroma of butterscotch, creamy peaches, buttered crumpets and on the palate expect exactly the same but followed by smooth, smoky notes, creamy citrus and gently tropical flavours that wash across a long, persistent finish. It’s a satisfying, old-school style. www.millsreef.co.nz
Seifried Nelson Zweigelt 2014 ★★★½
Zweigelt is rare and rather crazy red wine that was purpose-built (although for what purpose is unclear) in 1922 by Austrian viticulture professor Fritz Zweigelt, from a crafty cross-dressing of It was a crossing of St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch. Now while you’re still silently mouthing how to say the latter, the former is pronounced “zwhy – geld” (sort of) and according to Wikipedia, it’s also known as Rotburger and should under no circumstance be confused with Rotberger. Bold spicy red berry aromas and a kick of raspberry, liquorice, cranberry and pomegranate on the finish. Definitely different. www.seifried.co.nz
Parusso Dolcetto D’Alba Piani Noce DOC 2013 $32 ★★★★
Spice, spice and more spice is what you’ll get in every mouthful of this tasty Italian stallion. The Parusso estate is located right at the border between the Castiglion Falletto and Monforte d’Alba appellation of Barolo and Armando Parusso’s son and daughter, Marco and Tiziana Parusso have been making superb wines from the great Nebbiolo grape there since the 1980s. It’s meaty, savoury and has some serious grip on around the back teeth – but you’ll love it with rich rabbit ragu or something equally indulgent. For stockists contact www.vintners.co.nz
