Specifically imported sprits. Only noticed the other day but a shot of vodka in most of the bars we drink in is between 140-160php A SHOT!!!!!!!!! Its not just vodka but seems to be anything imported. I normally drink doubles............not no more!!! Has there been an increase on import tax on sprits? I know places like Egypt have a 200% tax on foreign sprits
Luckily I don't drink spirits of any kind A can of Guinness was about 300 peso last time I checked and McEwans Export was about the same. The one thing I miss over there is nice good quality cheap wine.
Not saying Dom you will surely destroy any of the ones I pick mate I will say that I generally like a nice dry white preferably with an upper price of 6 quid and usually no lower than 5 quid, so I'm not anywhere near anything that would be considered 'good' I guess The closest you can get to those criteria over there in the Phils is this Paul Masson white and it is barely drinkable (the empties make good water bottles for the family ) South East Australian Chardonnays are nice just now.
Only joking Dom I buy cheap but what I consider nice to my taste, at the moment Lindeman's Chardonnay 2014 for about a fiver, and sometimes McGuigan's Cellar Select 2013 also about a fiver a bottle, cheap and cheerful. This year the boss gave us a few bottles of Macon Lugny 2013 but I found it far too sweet, also got some Canaletto Pinot Grigio which is usually nice. I am holding on to a bottle of Bollinger I was going to open it at the bells but I was tired and went to bed early at New Year.
I`m not a wine snob.. If it tastes good,then its good! We can can get good Alsace wine here for about the same price I might pay in lets say Strasbourg. We know this as we have had wine brought to us from there for price comparison from friends visiting us from France last year. Good Aussie and U.S wine readily available here far far cheaper than at source! Work that tax equation out!...Mad...I know. Last time I looked,a bottle of Absolute vodka was about 800.00 PHP and an excellent bottle of local premium Rum,300.00 PHP. Cant go wrong. Prices go up each year here in Jan by about 4% due too VAT laws introduced 2 years ago.
Stu, to answer your question, no I don't believe the duty/tax on imported spirits has increased by much if at all. I'm not a spirits imbiber but I do visit S&R on a fairly frequent basis and their range of spirits is, if anything, cheaper here than in the UK. I think you're paying Long Nose Tax in the bars up there on Luzon!
Me neither, I'm the same if I like it then it's good So where can you get a good wine? There are a couple of wine stores that I know of in Manila in Malate but the choice was very limited and as it was a tourist area the prices were somewhat worse than a good cheap wine here in the UK. The Champagne was expensive too.
I drink that McGuigans sometimes but its got to be cold. I find whites confusing but I seem to know what I like with reds
Bottles of spirits are fairly cheap out of the stores here it must be said thinking about it. Its just the costs in the bars, I don't think its long nose tax as the prices are on the menus. The bars obviously all follow suit and must be making a hell of a killing on their mark up
Choice does seem to be fairly limited but I find the average SM food store has a reasonable selection. I tend to stick to Oz or USA wine out here as it seems to be a fair deal. Don't drink a lot of red out here tend to go for white, and drink it quick as it warms up fast!!
Most of the wines in our local malls 300.00 Peso and over,we find most are perfectly acceptable. For the posh stuff,we can get a supply from a local french restaurant that has it imported. Last year though I made 15 gallons using fruits from our garden..Mango and Papaya. We had some Champagne yeast sent to us from the UK which got the fruit wine up to 16% volume. Very pleased with the results!
Sell directly by taste. Home visits, wine tastings, sold and delivered by the case, the cheapest (or as we say in sales, the least expensive...) close to 200 quid a pop. High quality wines only. Your nearest company distributors in the area will be in Honkers, Taiwan, Oz or NZ.
That's why I was scared to tell you what kind of cheap plonk I thought was good The very best bottle of wine I ever opened was a bottle of d'Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 2000 (I think it was 2000 might have been earlier) when my sister bought it for me it cost about 16 quid a bottle, when I drank it, it was worth about 40 quid a bottle, I think it is now about 60 odd quid. It was smooth rich and just stunningly good everything was perfectly balanced, as far as I could tell. That wine made me realise that all the wines I had ever tried before that were 'plonk', I also realised that I would never ever get to try something any more expensive, because basically I am a miserable skinflint Scot who would never spend that much for a drink
Is that a bottle or case of 12?!! My fav red for a while has been faustino 1 gran reserve, think they start about 18quid a bottle but obviously increase the older they get. The wife treated me to a few older vintages for my birthday a few years ago. Still got one in my cellar. That a normal cellar with a wine rack in the corner, unfortunately not a dedicated wine cellar I worked with a guy who used to get a wine salesman round to his house. I've always liked the idea of it to be honest but I'm scared of drinking it, always thinking I have to save it for special which winds the wife up no end. Got some lovely bottles of port that I just don't want to open and "waste"
I know a top trained chef well and he cooked me a meal at our house last time I was back in the UK and he brought 90quid of wine with him in 2 bottles of red. Bloody lovely they where, hic
hmmm Why Australians are using sunblock to protect grape crops http://www.bbc.com/news/business-30660063 thought I was drunk when I first read the title
