Wed, 11 Oct 2000

The Wine and Cigar Shop opens at The Regent Jakarta

By Grace Segran

JAKARTA (JP): Lovers of a good vintage and a fine cigar have a new place to savor the moment with the recent opening of The Wine and Cigar Shop at The Regent Jakarta.

The shop was designed by Four Seasons management; the rustic wooden floor, old Batavia furniture, Mediterranean yellow-washed walls and ceiling, together with jazz music in the background provides a conducive atmosphere to just sit back and light up a Davidoff or swirl a glass of burgundy. There are eight types of wine by the glass from various parts of the world, served from the temperature-controlled dispensing cabinet.

Most of the wines are imported directly and exclusively for the shop. "We deal directly with producers in Bordeaux, Italy, Germany, etc," said Armando Kreanzlin, executive assistant manager.

The shop endeavors to have a representative selection of wines from the old and new worlds; the pride of the shop is definitely its selection of Bordeaux. There are 16 different vintages of first growths such as Chateau Latour, Chateau Margaux, and Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Besides the top Bordeaux, it also features affordable and high quality small chateaux.

Its Burgundy selection features the fine wines of Antonin Rodet, one of the leading Burgundian Wine Houses which is well respected by Robert Parker, the American wine guru.

The Italian selection includes Barolo and Barbaresco of Italy's leading winemakers Angelo Gaja and Bruno Giacosa, as well as Chianti from Piero Antinori. It also carries lesser known specialties such as a terrific Moscato (by Prunotto) and Barbera D'Asti.

The German selection is limited but of high quality. There is a variety of Rieslings from the German Winemaker of the Year, Helmut Doennhoff.

From Australia, there is a comprehensive selection of the leading producers such as Penfolds (including their flagship Grange), Wolf Blass and Petaluma.

"We are still building our California range which will include wines by Jordan, Kendall Jackson, Cakebread, Mondavi as well as some specialty Cult wines from Groth, Whitehall Lane, Swanson and Viader," Kreanzlin said. The shop also plans to stock wines from New Zealand, Chile and Spain, and special varietal wines such as Mourvedre and wines from the South of France.

Two very special products stand out. One is a single malt whisky selection including Springbank, Ardberg and Scapa. These are special Scottish whiskies, aged and bottled in very limited quantities. The second is Eaux de Vie from Hans Etter in Switzerland. These are Fruit Brandy specialities such as Pomme, Poire Williams, Framboise, Kirsch and they come in beautiful handmade glass bottles.

An impressive selection of fine wines and spirits, but what does the price tag look like?

"We aim at offering value for money," said Kreanzlin. "Prices start from Rp 120,000 and the sky's the limit when it comes to the great chateaux of the best vintages."

The wines are professionally stored; the best wines are kept in a cool pebble-floored cellar with vaulted ceiling. Four wine sommeliers -- Saiful, Eddie, Bram and Yadi -- are at hand to help you choose a bottle or a cigar. Several hours a week, they study about wines and cigars and are tested the following week on the materials presented earlier.

The sommeliers cannot sell what they have not tasted. So the Regent has set aside significant budget for tasting -- about a dozen wines a week. The team then compares tasting notes and talks about what they saw in the wines.

The shop also carries a complete range of the world's most appreciated wine glasses from Riedel, an Austrian Crystal Glass maker. Riedel is widely regarded as the expert in designing wineglasses; he has created a specific glass for every variety of grape. "There really is a difference in smell and delivery, whether you drink a Carbenet Sauvignon in a carbenet glass or in a smaller chardonnay glass," Kreanzlin said. "Amazing but true!"

There is a mix of both local and expatriate customers. The observation is that Indonesian customers tend to be more interested in French and Italian wines, whereas expatriates are more comfortable with Australian wines.

It has been found that the combination of wines and cigars work well. Both represent the good things in life and many cigar enthusiasts are also winebuffs. And if they aren't, they might be interested in learning more about wines.

The outlet carries a good selection of Cuban cigars such as Cohibas, Romeo Y Julieta, Hoyo de Monterey and Montecristo, as well as a selection from the Dominican Republic such as Davidoff.

Cigars can be purchased by the stick or box; prices range from Rp 40,000 to Rp 250,000. There is also humidity-controlled lockers where customers can keep their cigars.

To enhance the taste of the wines, finger foods such as double cream brie, duck terrine, oysters or sushi and sashimi, are served. With much to offer, the shop may become the place to unwind after lunch or a hard day at work.