Manga Wine Comic Book

The Japanese obsession with Manga comic books has reached the world of wine with this hit new series called Kami no Shizuku.

The wine disintereted hero of the story is challenged by his recently deceased father, who was a famous wine critic, to hunt down 12 wines he considered to be the best in the world. If he finds these wines before his adopted brother, a sommelier, he will inherit his father’s fortune.

The story has created increased interest in wine amongst young Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese you are not only buying up all stocks of these wines (that they can afford) but are enrolling in wine appreciation courses to follow in the steps of their comic book hero.

http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=6150

It is hard to imagine Bamse challenging Lille Skutt (a popular Swedish children’s comic book duo) to the same task!

See if you can find any of these wines in Sweden and if fact is better than fiction!

I also read that another manga hero that has reached cult status is a ficticious CEO of a large corporation that breaks all the traditional rules and stereotypes in Japan. Where will Manga go next, politics perhaps so Japan can find a new Prime Minister voters have confidence in?

Cheers

Mark

A Year Well Drunk

I once tried cellar management software to track the wine I keep at home for personal drinking. Opening Windows to check out a bottle is not as much fun as opening the bottle itself and by the time it had been consumed I was not in the frame of mind to bother recording its consumption. Wine is for drinking pleasure and the memory of it, if not its digital record, is what will stay with me (or not if it was a less than memorable drop).

So I have only memories of 2008 to share and no written record to jog my memory. But I recall it as a year well drunk.

During 2008 we expanded our portfolio of wines significantly to include products from Italy, Spain, France, Germany, South Africa to add to the Aussie and Kiwi wines already represented. The liquid memories that linger longest are:

Ch. Des Eyrins, 2004: Bordeaux as good as it gets even for non-Bordeaux drinkers such as myself.

Cru Monplaisir, 2006: little brother to Ch. Des Eyrins in price only. The biggest compliment I can give it is that it could come from Margaret River!

Voyager Chardonnay 2005: biggest compliment I can give this Margaret River beauty is that it could be a Chablis!

Port Phillip Shiraz 2004: Kooyong winemaker Sandro Mosele unleashes his perfectionism on something stronger and redder than a Pinot Noir grape.

Hebrart Cuvée de Reserve NV: our first champagne – Jimmy finally found bubbles that we could afford and he would drink!

Sileni Sauvignon Blanc: someone asked me why Australian SB does not taste as good as this fantastic NZ drop. Why should Australia try and copy these great Kiwi wines, they are hard to beat, I answered.

Dom. Durieu, Côte du Rhône, Plan de Dieu 2005: at 127kr this was our best value wine of the year. I would buy it and drink it at 180kr a bottle and still boast about it.

All things Spanish: we searched hard to find the style of Spaniol that was elegant, charming, strong and well made and were very pleased with the bottles put on offer.

All things Sicilian: James was determined to find some Sicilian wines after his summer vacation there. Thanks for our Italian agent Janet who put together this exclusive range of wines at amazing value prices, Mr. Overall got his wishes and our members got their big hit of nero d’avola.

The second most commonly asked question as our wine tastings is “what is your favourite wine” to which I return the question “to drink with what and with whom and where and when?”. So I am not going to pick my favourite bottle of the year but I will mention my most memorable event of the year just passed.

International wine guru Brett Crittenden visited with an arm full of his favourite wines from France, Italy and Germany to which our chef Johannes Videhult prepared an amazing meal to compliment the wines. As Brett described the street and hills on which each of these producers from Burgundy, Bordeaux and Tuscany lie, we were transported there with all our senses. We did not have to leave our wonderful office/restaurant to be there and experience these fluid gems. Good wine and food is an experience for all our senses and Brett took us on a journey we will not forget for a long time.

The Ch. Des Eyrins was one of his hand selected favorite wines and one of the few we were able to buy for sale to our members.

I rarely drink during our wine events but as Brett said, sometimes you just have to spit on the inside!

Next posting will give some insight to what 2009 will offer and hopefully it will be a year even better drunk.

Happy New Year!

Cheers,

Mark

p.s. drink responsibly and never drink and drive.

How to cheat on wine tax

Sweden’s tabloid newspapers are marvellous sources of advice. How to lose 20kg in 20 days, save 1000kr on your mobile phone bill a year or how to make your computer run faster. Expressen’s new wine website vinvin.se wins the prize for best advice of the year: How to cheat on alcohol tax.

For example: 1 liter of Absolut vodka for 178kr compared to 700ml for 239kr from Systembolaget. The difference being the alcohol taxes.

Vinvin.se’s attractive new site features a large static banner ad from a tax cheating alcohol e-commerce store called bottleshop247.com. I strongly support competition to our business but on a level playing field and within the law.

If you are wondering what the law states: alcohol tax and VAT must be paid in the country of destination if a third party transports the wine to you within the EU. If you collect the wine yourself in Germany, for example, then you pay only German VAT and alcohol tax.

Bottleshop247.com is a return to pre-2006 when NätSprit companies flooded Sweden with illegally imported booze, with some 60,000L a month being confiscated by the Swedish Customs at the boarder each month.

Buy alcohol online – it is your right. But pay the taxes – it is your duty.

And drink responsibly, it is all our obligation.

Cheers

Mark

Remember, drink and drive and it may be the last thing you do!

Australia – the movie

I am often asked if I miss Australia, which is a stupid question to ask during the months of October to March in Sweden. So attending the premier of Australia, the new blockbuster movie by Baz Luhrmann, was not the best cure for homesickness this Monday night.

As the guests of the Australian Embassy and Fox, my wife and I braved the “glitter and glamour” of b-list celebrities and mass produced Aussie wine to be reminded that if Australia is big, Australia the movie is BIGGER.

Nicole Kidman competes on the screen with Hugh Jackman’s muscles and an adorable Aboriginal boy who generously shares his culture, dreamtime stories and land with the audience. If your previous favourite Aussie movie mostly featured Abba and drag queens then you will be knocked off your stilettos by Baz (the Aussie nickname for Barry) and Rupert Murdoch’s Fox’s vision of Darwin, Northern Territory in 1939.

There has been a lot of negative reviews coming out of the Australian media which can only be described as Tall Poppy syndrome (Jantelagen of Australia) and jealousy at the huge budget. Ignore all you hear and read. How could you make a movie named after the world’s largest island on an independent movie’s budget?

Go and see the movie, don’t wear your RM Williams boots and mole skins, put on comfortable gear as the movie is long but rivetting. Be amazed by the grandeur and size of Australia’s far north, at the bravery and courage that characterises Antipodeans and save a thought for the shame my country bears for how it has treated its indigenous people but has now sought to apologise to and reconcile with.

Poor Fellas Rum is the drink of choice in the movie as this is 1939 – a good 45 years before we  Aussies started our domination of the world wine market. Enjoy Australia as it was and enjoy drinking Australia as it is now!

http://www.australiamovie.com/

Thanks to Baz, Rupert, Fox, Australian Embassy / Austrade and the Japanese airforce for a great evening.

Cheers

Mark

ps. A life lived in fear is a life half lived – thanks for the great motto Baz!

Playing favourites.

Sorry Bosse Zetterqvist, your hollow comments have been exposed.

Posten delivers wine to Systembolaget’s 510 collection points, which are able to check if the recipient is over 20 and sober, but Posten can not do this through their own collection points (many of which are the same place). Bo, can you let us know how many collection points you share with Systembolaget? 

Below is from Systembolaget’s own website about their Ombud (collection point) service.  Bo Zetterqvist and Lars. G. Nordstrom work for a company  owned by all Swedes and in the service of all of us and should explain why they will only deliver alcohol sold by Systembolaget and not other companies operating legally in Sweden.  

Leveranser
Din beställning levereras alltid så snabbt som möjligt. Efter sista beställningstid hos ditt ombud plockar vi ihop varorna. Därefter levererar Posten dem till ombudet. 

Utlämning och ålderskontroll
Utlämning av beställda varor sker under samma tider som Systembolagets öppettider (öppettiderna regleras av riksdagen). Därför sker ingen utlämning på söndagar eller helgdagar. Försäljningsreglerna är desamma som på Systembolaget, det vill säga man måste vara minst 20 år för att handla, ombuden lämnar inte ut till berusade eller när man misstänker langning.

If we are to believe Bosse’s explanation (see posting below) we also look forward to the big jolly guy in red and white delivering our packages this Christmas, not Posten!If you have a choice how to send packages this festive season and like quality wine, try and use a company that supports free choice.

Cheers!

Mark

Why doesn’t DHL or Schenker jump at this lucrative new market and grow at the expense of Posten? 

Julmiddagar

This is a busy time of year as we meet our members at the annual Christmas dinners held in our wonderful office-restaurant. So not much time spare to write the blog but it is great to share our wines and food with you.

Many thanks to the many members who wrote to Posten to ask them to handle the logistics for your wine orders. Here is the response one member got:

Tack för ditt mejl.

Som du känner till finns det en åldersgräns för inköp av alkohol. Den omfattar även utlämning av alkohol. För att vi ska kunna garantera att leveranserna sker enligt lag krävs omfattande förändringar i de tekniska verktyg som vi och våra ombud använder. Det innebär betydande investeringar från vår sida.

Detta kombinerat med att de förpackningar som krävs för flytande vätskor är dyra, gör att vi ser en begränsad potential för tjänsten. Vi har därför beslutat oss för att inte göra de förändringar som krävs för utlämning av alkohol. Beslutet är med andra ord fattat på affärsmässiga grunder.

Med vänliga hälsningar

Bo Zetterqvist

Chef, Distanshandel

Posten Logistik AB

Bo.Zetterqvist@posten.se

Posten has already approved the packaging we are using and it is not their business what it costs anyway. The technology to check age should be no different than that required to check for collection of other restricted products like medicines etc. Perhaps Posten cares less about children collecting prescription drugs than the risk of them collecting a 15kg box of quality wine?

Write to Bosse if you have any more comments.

They have no will to handle wine because their political masters have told them not to.

I hope Bosse read this article: http://www.aftonbladet.se/matvin/article3915227.ab in Sweden’s best selling newspaper. Clearly customers want choice where to buy their wine!

cheers!

Mark