Vintage Valuation: In association with Masi, Venetian Ambassadors

Vintage Valuation is a regular column from The Moodie Davitt Report, in which we assess airport wine stores around the world. In each edition we rate the wine offer, merchandising and service by a number of key criteria, including:

  • Size, depth, excitement of assortment: Is there a diversity of countries, regions, styles and varietals?
  • Are (where applicable) the wines of the region or country well represented (where a store is located in a non wine-producing country, we will reallocate these points) – 20 points 

  • Price range and value: Is there
a balance of price-points, from entry and mid-price level to
the high-end?
  • Is pricing competitive with the local market? – 15 points 

  • Is there innovation in the offer? Points of difference? Exclusives? – 15 points 

  • Is there an effort to engage the consumer via tastings and other promotions? – 15 points

  • Do the staff display enthusiasm and knowledge in selling? – 15 points

  • Overall impression: Does the merchandising, design and ranging create a true “wine experience”? – 20 points

Airport: Auckland International Airport (departures)

Retailer: Lagardère Travel Retail (Aelia Duty Free)

Summary: Aelia Duty Free has made wines one of the focal points of its newly expanded and refurbished departures store at Auckland International, where it occupies the space across the corridor from rival Aer Rianta International and its shopping brand The Loop.

The Aelia Duty Free store opens with a value-driven spirits offer, followed by wines and Champagnes, presented in a bright, modern arena just off the main walkway.

It’s a well-branded part of the store, with striking images of New Zealand’s great wine regions and digital displays that showcase the best that the country’s wine industry has to offer. This is unmistakeably, and rightly, an offer that is built (almost) entirely on indigenous brands. Most are displayed on back walls and segmented in an easily visible and simple to understand format by grape or type: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, white varietals, Pinot Noir, red varietals, red blends, dessert wines and more.

Gifting opportunity: Individual brand showcases, in this case Cloudy Bay, stand out

Several individual brand showcases stand out, not least one of New Zealand’s great wine names: Cloudy Bay, housed in its own extensive branded unit. Even for one house the range is suitably wide, as one would expect, with the benchmark Sauvignon Blanc to the fore, but also variants including Riesling and Pelorus sparkling wine, the latter in both classic and rosé expressions. The high-quality display shouts ‘gifting opportunity’ loud and clear.

However, (and this applies across the aisle at The Loop too), the premium merchandising for the brand is matched by an ultra-premium price. Perhaps naively, I expected that this great New Zealand wine sold in the country of origin would carry a more attractive duty free price than I could find it on the other side of the world. I was wrong. At NZ$41.30 for 75cl, that’s just over £21.50 a bottle translated to UK prices. The World Duty Free price at London Heathrow T2, on my most recent visit? £18.99, duty paid. A little put off by the relative value on offer, I opted instead to buy a lovely soft Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc for NZ$27.50.

That’s not to say there are no attractive offers. Prices for the Sauvignon Blanc range begin at around NZ$16 (Matua) with some very good wines priced at NZ$21 and up. There are around 25 Sauvignon Blancs available, so there is variety aplenty. We liked the fact that nearby Waiheke Island is well represented, through brands such as Mudbrick and Man-o-War.

After Sauvignon Blanc, the widest range within in any other style sits on the Pinot Noir shelves. This is a treasure trove of special items from Martinborough down to Central Otago. There are entry level lines such as Tiki (NZ$24.99) or Rabbit Ranch (NZ$27) through Pegasus Bay (NZ$47) to Craggy Range Aroha (NZ$120).

The real attraction here lies in the brands that you won’t see overseas, or that are difficult to find elsewhere. Among these stand-outs include the ultra-premium Stonyridge Larose (a superb Cabernet-dominated red made in classic Bordeaux style on nearby Waiheke Island) at NZ$400-plus, or Destiny Bay Magna Praemia (a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec) at NZ$385.

In addition, the four full shelves of magnums and gift boxes offer something for the discerning shopper who wants a point of real difference to what he or she can find at home.

For any visitor that wants not only a taste of New Zealand, but of neighbouring Australia too, there is a neat, well branded Penfolds offer in its own shelf display. But really this is all about showcasing one of this country’s national treasures.

In doing this, staff engagement with consumers is very good. There are regular tastings and campaigns, one of which featured the excellent Elephant Hills range during our visit. The by-the-glass wine dispenser system houses some fantastic premium lines, and we were fortunate enough to try both a Syrah and a magnificent Merlot Malbec 2015, before going on to purchase.

We found the Aelia Duty Free staff highly knowledgeable about allowances and about the rules in place around LAGs. In my case this was important, as my return trip to Europe involved transiting through Dubai.

CONCLUSIONS

Auckland International Airport takes its role as the gateway to a great wine country very seriously. Aelia Duty Free has met that challenge well in its departures store. This is a professionally compiled showcase for New Zealand wines, with a range broad enough to satisfy most tastes.

There is more room at the top end to tempt connoisseurs and the company still has ambitions to deepen the offer (with exclusives where possible) and lift the quality of merchandising (already good) to a new level. It’s early days for the new offer, with the departures duty free store completed in December, but there are plenty of signs that Aelia Duty Free’s expertise as a wine merchant in the northern hemisphere can make the transition to a new location and a new audience.

OVERALL VINTAGE VALUATION RATING (OUT OF 100): 72

PREVIOUS VINTAGE VALUATIONS:

King Power International, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport – 70/100

Dubai Duty Free, Dubai International Airport Terminal 3 (Departures) – 70/100

Aelia Duty Free, Nice Côte d’Azur Airport – 90/100

World Duty Free London Heathrow Airport Terminal 3 – 51/100

A VENETIAN AMBASSADOR
Masi has always been an ambassador for the values of the Venetian Regions. Its story began in 1772, when the Boscaini family, now in its seventh generation, bought prestigious vineyards in the “Vaio dei Masi”, in the heart of the Valpolicella Classica zone.

With Masi Historic Venetian Estates, the Boscaini family sanctions its work in promoting the cultural traditions of “territories of excellence” through single vineyard wines (crus) and historic noble estates.

In Valpolicella, Masi collaborates with the Conti Serego Alighieri family, descendants of the poet Dante, owners of the estate since 1353, and in Rovereto it collaborates with the Conti Bossi Fedrigotti family, a prestigious aristocratic estate since 1697.
Research into territorial excellence has allowed the Boscaini family to take Masi to the New World, in the Valle de Uco in Argentina. Masi Tupungato is where knowhow and tradition express themselves in a generous, strong and uncontaminated land.

Cantina Privata Boscaini is made up of precious cru selections and great vintages of Amarone, produced in limited quantities and only when nature is at her most munificent. A family inheritance, to be conserved with the maximum care and shared with the best friends and closest wine passionates.

World leaders in the production of Amarone Classico, Masi has developed recognised expertise in the Appassimento technique through its Technical Group. The technique dates back to the ancient Romans and involves leaving grapes to dry on bamboo racks for the winter months to concentrate aromas and flavours in the resulting wine.

And an aptitude for innovation has resulted in the production of the widest and most expertly made range of Amaroni, Recioti and Double Fermentation wines – which together form Masi’s calling card in the world.

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