An investigation
by London Telegraph, that will be music to the
ears of the Indian five-star hotels, has revealed
that some of England´s top chefs are charging
upto five times the cost of wines in their restaurants.
Restaurants with the
highest mark-ups on low-end or mid-range wines include
those owned or founded by Raymond Blanc, Heston Blumenthal
and Jamie Oliver.
Consumer watchdogs and wine experts accused the
restaurants of greed and said the high prices could
deter customers from dining out.
The largest mark-up uncovered by The
Telegraph was at Blumenthal's three Michelin-starred
restaurant, The Fat Duck, in Bray, Berkshire, where
a bottle of 2005 Bourgogne Aligote costs £58.
Berkmann Wine Cellars, sells a bottle for £12.12
per bottle – showing that The Fat Duck is selling
the wine at almost five times what it paid for it.
Taking VAT into account, that makes a profit of £35.73.
At the two Michelin-starred Le Manoir Aux Quat'
Saisons, in Great Milton, Oxon, owned by Raymond
Blanc, a 2006 bottle of Corbière La Tour Château
Grand Moulin costs £26. The wine can be bought
from their supplier, the General Wine Company, for £5.37 – a
profit of £16.08 after VAT.
And at Fifteen Cornwall, near Newquay, which was
founded by Jamie Oliver, a 2006 bottle of Belisario
Verdicchio di Matelica sells for £27. The same
bottle can be bought for just £6.08 from the
restaurant's supplier, Liberty Wines, which means
a £16.20 profit per bottle after VAT.
The mark-ups were calculated using the prices printed
on the restaurants' menus, without taking into account
any service charge added later to the bill, and using
the suppliers' standard trade prices.
The restaurants argue that the large profit margins
are necessary to cover other costs, such as staff
and wine storage. A spokesman for Le Manoir Aux Quat'
Saisons said its 384 per cent mark-up on wine was
justified by the "dining experience".
Of course, one minor factor that makes the situation
different in India is that the 5 star hotels
get the wines at duty free prices and they are
expected to pass on the benefits to the consumers-editor |
