While its not as good as many of the wines available in Oz but not elsewhere for a comparable price, its for sure one of the better ones. I had a bottle of the merlot/shiraz from Jason’s the other night, along with a Penfold of some sort.
The Penfold was much better, but then it cost NT$400 more than the Wolf Blass, which, at a paltry – PALTRY! – NT$650, was a very good buy indeed when you consider the NT$400 or so that you have to pay for a bottle of, say, Jacob’s Creek, which really IS slop.
I should export some decent wines to you guys over there…
Wolf Blass at its best is a AUD$10 (NT$250) wine…
But you’re talking about domestic prices. Wolf Blass in the UK starts at around 8 quid (nearly NT$500) and of course I would go for something much better if I was in Oz. Why do decent Oz wines cost so much here, anyway? NT$800-NT$1,000 gets you a pretty wide selection of fairly drinkable French bordeaux or pretty good cotes du Rhone, which still knock the socks off anything from the New world that I’ve tasted here.
Nine bottles Fred…
Hic! And that’s what I had… How many did the rest of them consume? Course I could have been seeing double by that point… was I or wasn’t I? But it must have been nine because it’s not like I could have seen double for 4.5 bottles right?
I am still struggling through the day. I had the worst nightmares last night as well. It started in this bar called Carnegie’s where I was being forced to drink and drink and drink against my will. I felt like a duck on a farm in Bordeaux. I kept shaking my head but the dream wouldn’t stop and each time I “awoke” I was still at Carnegie’s talking to this strange ponytailed SCOT about Chris Patten. It was most unusual. And then this ponytailed chap was sharing his experience marketing beaujolais nouveau in Liverpool, and considering how fond of beaujolais nouveau I am (Just cannot get enough of the stuff!!!) I found the conversation captivating. I really could not have left even if I had wanted to…
Scot? Remind me…which part of Canada did you say you were from?
carlisle of course being part of the Greater Scottish Co-prosperity Sphere
I am just putting up my newly reframed portrait of the The Duke of Cumberland.
Who as we all know is the patron saint of tuxedos…
Reaching, Fred … you’re really reaching.
Next time you are in Carnegies and can’t decide what to eat give the Chicken Briyani a try. Very tasty and a great spicy sauce served with it. There is a wonderful secret behind it that a very discerning palate could identify, but if not, just buy Bob a Hoegaarden and he will fill you in on why the Chicken Briyani sauce is so good. As for me, I couldn’t discern it, but that was after several Hoegaardens, and I was doing good to pronounce Briyani correctly. Great for the drunken munchies as well since I always seem to order one before stumbling off home.
Wolf’s Blass?
You make our lovely little house red sound like a body part! 
It’s Wolf Blass just so you know. Although I could put the typo down to excessive consumption.
Yesterday wasn’t very productive for me either.
But you’re talking about domestic prices. Wolf Blass in the UK starts at around 8 quid (nearly NT$500) and of course I would go for something much better if I was in Oz. Why do decent Oz wines cost so much here, anyway? .[/quote]
Not counting the ex-winery purchase price, shipping, insurance, distributor margin, wholesaler margin and finally retailer margin, there is an NT$185 per litre (NT$138.75 per bottle) specific duty as well as 5%VAT levied on wine. An ad valorem tax on wine would be better as the tax would be on the ex-winery price and so the final price will be a greater reflection of the real value and quality of the wine but sadly this is not the case for lower end wines. The current duty structure works well at the higher end though as tax on a bottle of Ch. Margaux is proportionally less than a bottle of Jacob’s Crack (deliberate sp. error) So if you go to a supermarket and purchase a bottle for NT$250, most of it is tax. Work backwards and basically all you get is really cheap plonk. As you go up the price scale the proportion of tax gets less and the value of the wine (ex-winery) is greater generally meaning that the quality is also superior (there can be exceptions of course). I wouldn’t buy a wine off the shelf in Taiwan for less than NT$500. I also think that given the pricing structure here in Taiwan, NT$1500 and up in a restaurant ensures a reasonable drop providing the reataurant itself knows what it is buying with regard to quality and the price/quality ratio. Like we do
By the way Bob:
Will you also be framing the photograph of you attempting to strangle one Frederick P. Smith V? I notice that both sets of teeth of the individuals in question seem to have most serious red wine stains. All right. All right. Blasted Wolf or whatever that wine was. I shall be back for more this evening avec cumberbund!
I know about the taxes, Bob, but what I meant was, why are Oz wines comparatively so expensive? I can’t figure out why they could expect me to pay NT$1,000-NT$1,500 for a wine when I can get a much better French wine for less. The taxes are the same despite the country of origin, aren’t they?
I suppose its a question of subjectivity – I prefer wine to taste like wine rather than alcoholic blackcurrant juice, which is what so many of those New world varietals remind me of.
Of course, if there happened to be some kind of expert on these boards who could point me in the direction of decent economical drops available in Taiwan (NT$650-NT$1,800), I could be persuaded to change my opinion – say, someone who’s been involved in the wine trade? 
I for one would not want to drink any French wine less than NT$650 retail or NT$1,800 restaurant. That threshold drops to NT$550 for California and NT$450 for Australia and NT$370 for Argentina Chile. Let’s just say that French wines below that price tend to give one a splitting rusty eye hangover the next day. Let’s not even talk about that foul shit Beaujolais Nouveau which I personally find so objectionable that I would rather well let’s leave it at not drink it.
The Wolf Blass (or blasted wolf) is a price/quality range that I find very attractive. The value for the money is there and unlike other Aussie wines which are often too jammy, this has structure.
I was talking about retail only.
Fred, can you really get a decent Chilean/ Argentinian wine for as little as NT$370 that doesn’t taste like Ribena or jam? I’m totally with you on the Blasted Wolf, btw, but at 650, the one I had from Jason’s cost the same as a Croze-Hermitage that was in a different league altogether.
Names and locations, please. I’m thinking this thread could be split into a wine thread if the interest is there.
Now, these are the Costco or Tesco prices but I believe that Terrazas has excellent Cabernet Sauvignon at NT$380 per bottle. I usually buy it by the case and the Malbec (you may find too much like Ribena) at same price as well as Chardonnay at same price or roughly same.
The Etchart Torrontes (heavenly) was NT$380 per bottle but may not longer be imported.
I also have had some good luck with some cheap but nice Austrian whites in Wellcome. They have that Rhinish Riesling taste that I like but is not to everyone’s cup of tea AND it has the added benefit of going very well with Chinese food (high salt, oil) and not ending up tasting like water. Remember drinking with food and drinking alone are too very big issues with wine.
For Chile, Ali Lai has Tarapaca at NT$350 and on up that are excellent value but you MUST be cautious about which ones are drank with food.
Finally, I hear from a good friend that cheap French reds are possible if served with a gamy pate spread. Your guests will never know until the next day when that rusty eye socket hits them… hee hee hee. Go cheap on those that you hate. Hey, I am going to have a wine and pate tasting, wanna come? You can bring Alien! haha
freddie
Will she sell by the bottle or half-case? What’s the procedure? Do you just go to the restaurant to buy it or has she another outlet for wine sales?
Yes, you can buy off sale at her restaurant as well.
fred