I decided that maybe I could do the ‘joy’ part of airport wines, by drooling
at the wines in the ‘cellars’ of the Duty Free shops. I suspect most airports
are fairly typical in the storage and presentation of their wines, though
Heathrow at least has proper wine fridges in a couple of terminals for its top
cuvées, most leave much to be desired but they don’t stock many wines that
deserve such treatment.
Several points came to mind. Firstly, the number of wines standing upright
under 24 hour glaring light, and not just commercial wines either. Maybe they
sell so many that none sit there for more than a few hours, limiting the
damage, but I suspect not. During my ‘stakeout’ only a couple of bottles – at
the bargain end- were bought. Lots of R400+ bottles were positioned right next
to the busiest footfall and heat and light, in Terminal 5 my beloved ‘Grange’
at just under R7000 was upright and brightly lit. Bet their corks are going to
be fun to get out, and difficult to return a corked one when you aren’t on the
same Continent. Even the prestige wines in the fridge were spotlighted.
Secondly, the knowledgeable staff; I don’t want any legal action, so let me
just say that if I am going to buy a Pétrus I expect someone who isn’t also
selling perfume in the adjacent aisle nor someone who doesn’t know whether 2004
was a good year for it or whether Penfolds Grange is red or white (yes, it was
what she asked a colleague). I refrained from asking if Pétrus also came as a
sparkling.
What about the wine description cards. Where several vintages of the same
wine, say Lafite, were on offer, at very different prices (so someone knows its
importance) the tasting note was identical. Each had bursting blue notes and
elegant richness. I know Lafite is always superb, but you can’t describe the
2002 the same as the 2005. I would also expect more than the, quote, ‘full
bodied, balanced and with silky tannins’ on my Pétrus, something more Biblical,
definitely – read on for its price. Mind you, tucked away in the corner of the
note was a Robert Parker score for the wine of 91 / 100; heck, only 91? Maybe
the 2007 Lafite at R29000 was a better deal; at least Parker gave it 99 / 100.
The ‘rich berry flavours’ note for the 2010 Penfolds Magill Shiraz was fine;
the trouble was it was attached to the 2011’s on sale.
And having the wine in the departure lounges is great, for those looking for
a last minute gift or memory, and fine for most Riojas, Chiantis and ‘Turning
Leafs’, but how many people want to buy that Corton then subject it to carrier
bag swinging, aircraft cabin pressure delights, turbulence, X-ray machines and
boisterous Customs inspection?
If I had just paid R52700 for the Pétrus – yes, really – I would want it to
have its own seat at least. And be offered pretzels.
And that brings me to the greatest shocker. Prices. I know airports and the
like are more expensive, but it is Duty Free and should be a reasonable deal.
Maybe I am getting stingy and out of touch with what is happening in Europe
(isn’t there a recession?) but who is buying Penfolds RWT at R2200, Opus One at
R5100, and Grange at nearly R7000 -and very ordinary vintages of it too. If the
Lafite 2004 was a shade under R29000, what would the ’05 be? Just how many
impulse buyers are tempted by the half bottle of Inniskillin Cabernet Franc Ice
Wine at R1200? I must be out of touch as I shudder on spying Jacobs Creek at
R190 and Penfolds Bin 28 – a wine I cut my teeth on some ten years ago and
hoarded at £8 (R135) a bottle now staring at me for R375. A little research showed
me that prices have increased for the Penfolds range since I was a UK customer,
Magill is indeed twice what I paid, but that is still nearly half what Airports
are charging – Duty Free, remember.
Welcome to the real world? Well, Veuve Cliquot in an SA supermarket is R200
cheaper than at Heathrow, and a world class 10 year old Tawny from our
exceptional producers would be less than the R300 or a 20 year old less than
the R850 on show at Terminal 5 and 3 under a light strong enough to assist
planes with landing. Nice to see a spattering of SA wines at the terminal
restaurants, too, though I shivered again at spying a familiar Stellenbosch
Chenin Blanc at R90 for a 125ml glass, some six times the bottle price here in
SA. I renewed my effort to put SA wines prices in a world context; boy, are we
getting a great deal! To think what quality we are getting for under R200 a
bottle is staggering.
As my sentence, sorry, wait drew to an end I did what I normally do; buy
wines from the estates on my travels and never from airports. It’s nice to
leave the hot-house of the lounge for the plane – pity the poor wines. I can’t
imagine being in a position to buy a Pétrus and not derive maximum pleasure
from the experience, as well as admiration and gasps from anyone within a 5
kilometre radius and a call from Hello Magazine. After all, this is not just
buying a bottle of wine, this is making a statement in a place where statements
go unnoticed.