Beware false discounters….
Not only is the sky about to fall in on our head according to the media, but it’s also going to get more expensive to drown our sorrows.
It is tempting to reflect on the effects of £Sterling’s collapse against the €uro and the incessant increase in wine duty (did you notice the sneaky duty increase to offset the reduction of VAT?)
Our own Les Cimels Red (£7.99) faces an increase of £1.00 a bottle from the exhange rate alone, then add the 25p duty increase this year and the 13p planned for March and you come to more than £9.00 a bottle.
OK, it’s still superb value at that price but it leads us on to thinking about how we actually recognise value for money? How is it measured?
“Beware of false discounters who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” (not Matthew 7:15)
What Oz Clarke calls the “over-promoted, over-discounted dross” in the supermarkets will be the focus of ever-fiercer price wars. One of our regular customers for red wines wanted some whites for Christmas entertaining. I recommended Verus Pinot Grigio (£7.99) and she took a bottle to try. The following Monday we spoke again. Her husband had bought a white wine from a well-known supermarket down from £9.99 to £4.48. They had some friends round and did a taste-off. In summary; the supermarket “half-price” re-inforced why she didn’t drink white wines and they were all scathing in their criticism. Verus converted her to whites and they bought a case for Christmas.
Of course, despite the increasing number of horror stories I hear from old friends in the wine trade still selling to supermarkets there are true bargains to be had. The problem is which are they? If (as most of them are) they are artificially inflated just to artficially discount (who ever bought a full-price kitchen from MFI?) then their true value lies only at half price…and is even that good value or not?
So, you find a wine you like and you can only buy it when the retailer discounts it – their choice, not yours! If all wines are priced honestly, you know what you like and you can buy it when you want. If it’s half-price you can only buy it when they want ‘cos you’d be mad to buy it at the so-called RRP. How’s that for choice?
I’m now suspicious of buying anything unless it’s discounted.