Drinking wine: New, popular trend for Indonesian yuppies
Drinking wine: New, popular trend for Indonesian yuppies
A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Sitting at a corner in her favorite cafe in Cilandak Town
Square, South Jakarta, writer Djenar Maesa sips a glass of red
wine while staring at the passersby. She was apparently
contemplating new ideas for her next book. Inspirations come from
many places and situations.
While admitting that she was not a wine expert, Djenar said
she often drank wine while discussing many things, especially
literature and books, with her fellow writers, mostly until
midnight.
"I only drink red wine. I love the taste, not sweet. I don't
like sweet taste," the mother of two told The Jakarta Post
recently.
She first acquired a taste for wine at the age of 14, and
Djenar admitted that she visited cafes two or three times a week
and would drink two to three bottles of French red wine in a
night.
The 32-year-old novelist said the price of red wine she
normally drank was about Rp 150,000 a bottle.
Djenar is not the only one in town who now spends the evening
drinking wine. More and more people from various professions --
writers, politicians, business executives and artists -- have
fallen in love with the drink.
In the past, drinking wine was associated with older people.
But now many younger people have become addicted to the drink.
They spend their nights after work meeting friends and
relaxing at dozens or maybe hundreds of bars and restaurants in
the country's cities, which offer various selections of wine.
There are now dozens of cafes in Jakarta that only sell wine.
Lots of five-star hotels also have set up their own wine --
and cigar -- bars, in addition to providing wine in their
restaurants and coffee shops. Among them are the Hotel Nikko
Jakarta on Jl. MH. Thamrin and Hotel Borobudur on Jl. Lapangan
Banteng. They provide a vast selection of wines from Australia,
Chile, California, Argentina, Italy, Spain and France with prices
ranging from Rp 198,000 to Rp 3.5 million a bottle.
While some people like Djenar have been accustomed to drinking
wine without having meals before, many people prefer enjoying the
drink after dinner. For the latter group of people, wine is
closely related to food -- the flavor of food affects the taste
of wine and tasty wine will make food more delicious. The term
"wine and dine", which is now getting popular among Indonesians,
refers to the practice of drinking wine after dinner.
Hotel Nikko's director for food and beverages I.B. Ardana said
red wine would be tasteful while eating beef steak.
"The aroma of the red wine is suitable to the taste of red
meat. It's a harmonious blend," Ardana said recently.
Meanwhile, many people believe that white wine is best served
with white meat like fish as the wine will add to the freshness
of the fish dish.
Wine is also getting popular among local businessmen as the
drink to entertain business partners.
"Many Indonesian businessmen now love to serve their business
partners with wine, just as their foreign business partners do to
them," Culinary expert William Wongso, who runs Artistik Cafe in
South Jakarta, said.
Churchill Wine and Cigar Bar at the Hotel Borobudur is one
among many wine bars and cafes in Jakarta that has many loyal
clients among businesspeople, both Indonesian and expatriates.
The bar's captain, Mohamad Aziz said the number of Indonesian
people frequenting the bar is almost the same as the number of
foreign residents and traveling businesspeople. The bar is open
from noon to midnight.
"Many Indonesians have fallen in love with wine. Our
Indonesian guests include many businesspeople who come here with
their partners," Aziz elucidated.
As the number of wine lovers is increasing, a handful of "wine
clubs" have been established for folks to enjoy their drinks as
well as to deepen their knowledge about the drink.
One of the clubs is the Jakarta Wine Society. The club
regularly holds monthly meetings where its members can share
their knowledge about the beverage and discuss various topics on
wine, including the philosophy of wine, the history of wine, how
to match wine and food and many other interesting tidbits,
according to the club's chairman William Wongso.
Drinking wine is a trend now. It also illustrates the social
prestige of someone. That is why many people enjoy it.
Box
Wine, prices and comfortable bars .....
Wine is probably best consumed in a calm ambience where music
plays softly.
Among the dozens of wine bars, cafes and restaurants in
Jakarta, that provide such an atmosphere are the wine bars in
Hotel Nikko Jakarta on Jl. MH. Thamrin, and Hotel Borobudur, on
Jl. Lapangan Banteng, both in Central Jakarta.
Visitors should be impressed at seeing hundreds of bottles of
wine placed in rows of glass racks in front of Nikko's Olive Tree
Restaurant. Certainly, the restaurant has a vast selection of
wines to offer for visitors.
Located in the hotel's first floor lobby, the restaurant,
which opens around the clock, also offers delicious steaks and
other dishes to accompany the wine.
Sipping wine while looking at the water fountain and traffic
around the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle until midnight is a
preferable moment at Nikko.
Similarly, the imperturbable circumstances can also be found
at the Borobudur's Churchill Wine and Cigar Bar. Big soft seats
and couches with tender colors are the highlights of the bar,
which is located in the hotel's lobby.
The bar, which is open from noon to midnight, also provides
large collections of wine from many countries.
The following are some selections of wine and prices at Hotel
Nikko and Hotel Borobudur:
Names kinds price per bottle
William's Blend Australian white/red wine Rp 200,000
Edward Joseph Reserve Rp 270,000
Firestick Rp 475,000
Arbor Mist Californian red wine Rp 215,000
Quatros Vientos Chilean white wine Rp 210,000
Gato Blanco Chilean red wine Rp 330,000
Orvieto Dry Classico Italian white wine Rp 210,000
Santa Cristina Toscana Italian red wine Rp 250,000
Cabernet Sauvignon French red wine Rp 160,000
St Emilion Rp 310,000
Chateu Les Graves De Barrau French red wine Rp 380,000
La Fleur de Chateau Lichard Rp 450,000
Croix du Mayne Rp 500,000
Chateau de Francs Rp 570,000
Chateau Duc D'Arnauton Rp 600,000
Chateau La Cheze Rp 650,000
Chateau Franc Guadet Rp 700,000
Chateau du Ha Rp 845,000
Chateau Dillon Rp 900,000
Chateau Les Landes de Cach Rp 1,060,000
Chateau Hautes Graves Beaulieu Rp 1,100,000
Chateau Bois Martin Rp 1,150,000
Frank Phelan Rp 1,175,000
Cheval des Andes Rp 3,900,000
--A. Junaidi