Introjuicing Chez Toi
Posted on November 27th, 2009
Saved in Other sites of interest, Sour Grapes recommends, Wine, Wine talk, Wine websites
I got talking to Ian Golden from Ireland’s newest at home tasting service, Chez Toi.
Wine tastings can often happen in hotel meeting rooms with fluorescent lighting, stiff chairs. Either that or you’re on your feet. They can be tough work. With Chez Toi, Ian Golden has a different approach, bringing the wine to you in the comfort of your own home.
1. Hi Ian, you’ve an interesting concept in Chez Toi, what’s it all about?
Chez Toi is about bringing basic knowledge of wine to people, while keeping entertainment at mind. I have been to many wine tastings, and one day thought about bringing a package to people that they could have the luxury of entertaining friends at home, while having a wine tasting, accompanied with cheeses, meats and home made breads, all in the comfort of their own homes, or offices.
Given the economic times, I felt that it was suitable to keep the costs lower than one would spend on a night out, while drinking good wines and learning about them at the same time.
2.Why the wine world – I know it started in Brussels and you’ve a connection with Mitchell’s – tell me more
Well, I grew up abroad and was lucky enough to own my own pub and restaurant when I was in my early twenties in Brussels. It was easy to drink good wines on the continent as prices are so much cheaper there.
I have an Uncle who is a knowledge of wine and was always fascinated how he could tell a wine by the smell alone, and I wanted to learn that for myself. He was kind enough to open the door to me on some of his wine tastings in Mitchell’s on Kildare street.
I guess one thing led to another, and before I knew it I was learning from Dermot Nolan MW, doing the WSET courses.
3. Was there one wine that made you stop and go wow, this is more than boozy grape juice?
There are so many good wines, that it is nearly impossible to pick one single wine from them all, but I have to admit that I once received a gift from a well known Irish Director of a Bordeaux Chateau Haut-Brion 2003 that took my breath away.
I kept it for a while and then one day secretly opened it on my own one evening and it stands out to this day. That bottle I had no intention of sharing!
4. You offer a number of packages, tell me about them?
Our packages, they are self explanatory really. I aim to keep our concepts as simple as possible so that wine tasting can be open to everyone.
I have tried in cheztoi to select different countries, so that if one day a party tried an Australian theme, maybe the following time they could try and Italian theme and see the huge differences between them all.
Of course there is also the option of mixing all the wines from various countries, but I try to keep a pattern in the tastings and show people the differences you can find in one country.
5. If you had to choose or recommend one package, what would it be?
If I had to choose a package, I am a sucker for traditional French wines, and would have to recommend our tasting of ‘ La France’. While they are all good, that one is my favourite.
6. Following on, what’s your desert island wine?
If I got stranded on a desert island, and only had one bottle of wine with me, I would actually take a Sipp Mack Riesling 2007, slightly less sweet than other years. I would chill it for a day in the shallow waves and enjoy it slowly.
7. What’s the one thing you’d like to see change in the wine world, in Ireland or abroad?
One thing I would love to see change and fast, is the rip-off prices here for wines. It kills me to pay such high prices for very mediocre wines over here. Whilst I’m Irish, I hang my head in shame at the price of a sub standard bottle of wine here.
In France for €3 I can get myself a superb wine, yet here for €10 I get a very average bottle. It is the one change I would like to see.
Thanks, Ian and best of luck with Chez Toi.
Ian needs to familiarise himself with how a €3 wine in France very quickly adds up to €10 in Ireland before he goes around people’s houses talking about wine! Working back from €10, you have 1.77 in vat and a hardly excessive 25% margin for the retailer, brings you back to 6.17. Take out duty and you are left with 3.67. Out of 3.67 as an importer you have to buy the wine, transport it here, store it in a bonded warehouse and try to make a margin. There is no rip-off except by the government!!
Gabriel, thank you for the remarks. I think though you should find that I did not suggest the retailer as the rip off merchant, so your sarcasm is unfounded really.
I am only too aware of the government VAT, of which we have one of the highest on alcohol in Europe ~ and it is of this that I am talking about.
If you are selling wines you are no doubt certified to do so, and in that, you will also know it is one of the 1st teaching points is the exact government VAT rates on alcohol.
A 25% margin is still a nice profit in the bag too though for retailers, where as on the continent the mark up is of 10%.
That alone is 15% more here than on the continent is it not? But the true rip off is indeed the government VAT rate.
Thanks for the feedback.
Hi Ian,
thanks for that, it was just in your last comment you referred to “rip-off prices”. Usually, rip-off means some flak coming the way for the retailer. I should point out that 25% is gross margin, so all costs, rent, salaries, etc have to come out of that. Most wine shops are barely scraping by, believe it or not, on 25% GM.
Didn’t mean to come across as sarcastic- hope it goes well for you – the more education we can get to consumers, the better!!
Hi Gabriel,
Thanks for the feedback. I know of some people in the wine industry over here in retail doing really quite well, and raking in money ~ sometimes I find it too much in fact.
That said I also know of a few others in the trade struggling to stay open. The pendulum here swings both ways, and I think it depends heavily on location, location, location.
It goes from rags to riches per say. And no matter how many are in rags, there are always others in riches from that.
A 25% mark up when you are a large firm is really too high, distributing in bulk, that margin should be dropped so that those not having the ability to sell in bulk, manage to see it little.
The benefits would pass down the chain to the smaller retailer, and then on to the consumer. But the buck stops at the door of the big guys.
send whoever is raking it in over in my direction, please!
Hi Gabriel,
Tell me, are you a retailer? If so, are you based in Dublin somewhere and do wholesale? If so I will get in touch and compare your prices if you are interested?
I currently use another supplier but would be happy to see if there is anything we could do…
Regards
Ian
Mob: 086 1031161