imprisonment of an Indonesian man in the United States earlier this month to sell millions of dollars of fake wine will not slow down the Indonesia enthusiasm for overpriced and overhyped wines.
fine cars, fine art and wine are status symbols in the world. Indonesia is no exception, as evidenced by the well-off to drive sports cars in congested traffic, the purchase of fake art, and spend a lot on wine and spirits.
For newly arrived expatriates from wine producing countries, an unpleasant culture shock of Indonesia is extremely high wine prices. For example, a bottle of De Bortoli Merlot Cabernet Australia that sells for A $ 4.95 (Rp.54,000), sells in Jakarta for at least Rp.330,000.
This is chickenfeed compared to other prestigious brands. A bottle of 2009 Opus One, a California red wine can be purchased for $ 130 in the US. In Jakarta, the same bottle sells for Rp.7 million ($ 600). The wine is especially popular among women upwardly mobile, which many consider a chic alternative to beer - and less intoxicating than the spirits -. As a means of social lubrication
The main reason for high prices of wine Indonesia is the excise tax of 150% duty and 10% of imports. The government in 2010 released the import quotas for wines and spirits, but demand is still an estimated four times higher than official quotas, which means much of the imported alcohol penetrates even on the black market.
If Indonesia should tilt more to the demands of Islamic groups to ban alcohol and wine on the black market would become even more expensive. Ironically, Indonesia has a long history of making fermented beverages. Similarly, the beer was invented in the Middle East.
When I lived in Israel, one of the easiest ways to make money was to buy cheap local spirits for the equivalent of about $ 1.50 per bottle, carefully pack a dozen bottles in my backpack and then go through Gaza and Egypt. The alcohol could be sold in Cairo to sufficient profits to finance a one week stay. I once took a Scottish friend on this trip, but he made no money from the company, as he drank half of his goods on the way to Cairo and enjoyed the rest along the Nile.
Having worked on vineyards in France and Australia, I learned a little about wine: drink anything that does not cause a hangover, and ignore the pretentious experts. As a publisher, I deal occasionally with wine critics, such as: "This superb wine opens with a deliciously complex bouquet of red fruit, delicate spices and a hint of vanilla promising. In the mouth it is a delicious balance between well-structured tannins and lush quinces, with elegant evoking toasted nutmeg arrival. "Bullshit. It's just a red wine, and it is good taste (a nice mix of sweet grapes, sulphurous acid and bitter alcohol) or bad (too acidic).
Scientific tests can identify the compounds responsible for distinct flavors in the wine, but the wine judges test blindfolded found the same expert gives different ratings for the same wine. in another experiment, the same mid-range wines were served from an expensive bottle and a cheap bottle; not surprisingly, experts said an "expensive" exceeded
a Taiwanese friend last year brought in Jakarta a few boxes of red wine from. . a new Balinese cellar It was the most disgusting wine I have ever met. - worse than served the wicked red buckets on the Sabbath in an Israeli kibbutz We could not even give the "Best enjoyed when. release, "said the marketing spiel. Best immediately poured in the sink would be more accurate.
A few weeks later, I found a gourmet magazine praising the exact same wine as perfectly adapted to the local cuisine. Maybe a bite desiccant sambal mask the horrible taste. Bali may be the "island of the gods", but it can sure not produce the "nectar of the gods". Its grapes and climate are not the greatest for winemaking. So some producers grapes freshly squeezed matter of Australia to make a wine "mixed", that is acceptable.
the blended wines were the specialty of Rudy Kurniawan, who entered the US as a student in 1993, and continued to become a top distributor of rare wines. from 2004 to 2012, it has sold at least $ 30 million faked vintages concocted in his kitchen. a bottle was sold for $ 231,000. This month, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $ 28.4 million in restitution and forfeit $ 20 million. it will be deported upon release. No doubt there will be a market for its expertise in Indonesia.