Better buy that
bubbly now, some
retailers are advising
The closer we get to the big
By Leila Fujimori
event, the more scarce supplies
are likely to become
Star-BulletinBetter buy that bottle of bubbly now if you plan to toast the new millennium with the finest. At least that's what a lot of retailers and distributors are saying. But is it all just a hoax by the champagne industry?
"I personally and sincerely believe the industry is doing its best to create some hype and create some scare tactics," said Richard Field, owner of R. Field Wine Company.
Still, Field did say that by October, all the Dom Perignon would be spoken for by retailers.
"My prediction is there's going to be a shortage of champagne and sparkling wines, the tetes de cuvee - champagne houses' best wines, all vintage," said Jay Kam, president of Vintage Wine Cellar.
But the good news is that you can wait until December if you "just want to pop a bottle for effect," Kam said. Field said there will be plenty of good champagne for customers to choose from through the last day of this year.
Lyle Fujioka, Fujioka's Wine & Spirits' president, points to commemorative labeling as evidence of a bountiful supply. "When you commit to that much labeling for one commemorative release, you know you've got a lot," he said.
"There's confusion out there after the Wall Street Journal article saying it's all a big hoax, but I think it (a shortage) is real," said Mark Milton, president of M & S Brokerage, the Hawaii broker for Korbel Champagne Sellers. Korbel is already running 46 percent ahead of production, and the company projects hitting 1.45 million cases, up from 1.2 million last year.
The 1,458,000 cases is all Korbel company will produce this year. "It'll be tight," Milton said, about the availability of his product, which retails for $12.99 a bottle.
Gary Heck, owner of Korbel, has done research showing that 40 million Americans who have never tried champagne will drink it this year. Champagne consumers currently number 15 million in the United States.
The uninitiated are trying champagne, buying it now and stocking up for later. Foodland and Field have come up with a new concept: Richard Field Uncorked. Field is now selling wine in the supermarket chain's stores and is able to promote lesser-known brands.
Whether the industry is creating a hyped picture of demand may be difficult for outsiders to determine.
It's a commodity-driven market, Fujioka explained, so "projected supplies will enhance demand, equating higher prices." He blamed producers for price increases, not restaurants and retailers.Wholesaler Tim Garrard of Better Brands said he's placing orders now with suppliers - and they're already cutting his orders. "By October, I see being cut off totally," he said.
"There's a lot of hype and a lot of demand," Garrard said. "We're seeing unprecedented demand. But I can't really comment on the supply, if the supplier is being honest about their supply."
But Garrard sees his customers - the retailers, restaurants, chain stores, food stores, drug stores and hotels like the Sheratons, Hiltons and Hyatts - buying for later this year.
Another wholesaler, John Doty, president of JMD Beverages, has tripled his order of champagne for this year.
Garrard said he believes people will drink a slightly higher-quality champagne compared to last year's picks. Excellent lesser-known champagnes like Delbeck and Gobilard will still be good buys, he said.
As for the price of a bottle of Roederer's Cristal, it's now at $185, up from $125 last year, along with other high-end champagnes, said Fujioka.
Nevertheless, he's been seeing a constant sale of champagnes, especially vintage years. And, he predicted, prices will go up even higher.
"Since the first of the year, people realized that pricing was going to be an issue the closer you get to December," Fujioka said.
And to drink the
bubbly & booze...
By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
These three flutes are part of a special-edition set of
five available at Neiman Marcus.
By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
At right, "2000" shotglasses are among the items at
DFS Galleria at Waikiki.
For the champagne connoisseur crowd, a must-have for this New Millennium's Eve are "true champagnes" from the 1990 vintage. True champagne
of 1990 vintage
absolute ‘must’True champagnes are made with grapes grown in the Champagne region of France, and must meet strict standards. All others, technically, are sparkling wines.
Rose champagne, usually 50 percent to 100 percent more expensive than their straw-colored counterparts, is another alternative. It is made from the same grapes as regular champagne, but comes in contact longer with the skins of the dark grapes, thus imparting more flavor, complexity, aroma and color.
Many champagne houses are also coming out with mega bottles to emphasize the magnitude and festiveness of the occasion. For the Millennium's Eve, why not try a 1.5-liter magnum equal to two regular-size bottles, or a Jeroboam which is 3 liters?
And there are 6- and 9-liter bottles, too. Korbel produced 2,000 12-liter bottles - standing at about 3 feet tall, and weighing 44.4 pounds - going for $2,000 apiece. Lyle Fujioka, Fujioka's Wine & Spirits' president, said the wine ages better in bigger bottles.
Another different product is Korbel's chardonnay champagne, a chardonnay turned into a sparkling wine.
Although many say champagnes will not be discounted as in previous years, Richard Field, owner of R. Field Wine Company, described himself as being "very contrarian" and said "some champagnes will be discounted because retailers don't want to be stuck with expensive champagne."
Then there's this added aspect for retailers and revelers: Some are saying that Dec. 31, 2000 - not Dec. 31, 1999 - will be when people should be celebrating the start of the new millennium. The consequence of that?
"We'll see truly remarkable sparkling wines for two years," Field said. "And maybe the whole category will stay up."
By Leila Fujimori, Star-Bulletin
