 Tucked in the middle at the rear section of the Duty Free wine and liquor- oops , liquor and wine store, is looking attractive with stacks of Moet et Chandon priced at $52, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin (VCP) adding basanti yellow charm at $58 and the big daddy of’em all- Dom Perignon (DP to the uncommon drinkers and status seekers) at the princely $165 a bottle, hogging most of the Champagne space with Piper Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck fighting for more space on one shelf, selling at $50. People to whom any sparkling wine is Champagne may settle for about 4 bottles of Martini bubbly in lieu of the VCP.
The complete range of Four Seasons regular labels is available at a one-price of $10 while the recently introduced Reserve range sells for $20. This bottle is decidedly leader of the pack when it comes to packaging-with an impressive and classy gold label and a beautifully styled box. It is a bonus that the wine drinks very well too.
 Though it appears a tad too expensive (most people by now are smarting to our long- held belief that duty free shops seldom offer value for money but are great because of convenience and last minute pick up and since they have a captive audience, prices are marked accordingly-with occasional marketing gimmicks thrown in), it is definitely the best value-for-money Indian wine if you are carrying a bottle or two for your hosts or business clients overseas.
It would seem unlikely that Mallya Monopoly will last for long but the company has taken a pole position in the Formula-W race for wine sales at the duty free shops and is exploiting the opportunity rather well in creating a premium brand image for itself- with an impressive tent card display claiming it has been placed on the ‘Palace on Wheels’ wine list, is a big help too.
 Viña Sol from Torres is another wine which was just being offloaded onto the shelves and is being given a lot of space. Unfortunately, the girl on the job did not know the price and the cashier was not available momentarily but hopefully they have priced it between $10-12 at which price it would be a good buy.
It is also heartening to see that wines are being a little bit more of space in T3. Now, one must wait to find out if they will start giving attractive offers- like buy 2 get 1 free or travelable packing for check-ins if you buy two bottles. The world is full of possibilities and the attractive display by Four Seasons and LVMH is just the starting point
Subhash Arora
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