Wine expert cautions on Internet offer

By Adam Gifford

A wine "consortium" being sold to New Zealanders over the Internet has been labelled a poor investment by an expert in French wines.

The site, at wineshare.co.nz. promises "privately selected, privately labelled, privately owned, gold medal winning French wines delivered to your door".

The offer, "strictly limited to 250 New Zealand members", is that a $500 plus gst annual fee will buy membership in "a consortium of wine connoisseurs who appreciate that wine - no matter how superb - can be, and ideally should be, no more that a pivotal focus for the finer things in life".

The site was put up by management consultant Graeme Perry, who said he is acting as "consolidating agent" for a business called Wineshare United Kingdom.

Mr Perry said the $500 allows members to buy wines from Wineshare's two vineyards, "in the vicinity of the Bordeaux and Burgundy regions", Domaine du Grande Mayne in Cotes de Duras and Chateau Constantin-Chevalier in Cotes du Luberon, as well as discounted access to other wines and merchandising offers.

Mr Perry was a member of Wineshare UK before moving to New Zealand about five years ago.

He said the consortium has turned the vineyards in southern France from "being about to be turned back into a farm" to producing award winning wines.

"If you're buying retail you're looking at $30 for an equivalent brand," he said. The top wine, an oak-aged red selling to members for about $40, was "virtually grand cru, but it has not received that accolade yet".

Glengarry's cellar master Jean-Christophe Poizat said there are no wines from Cotes de Duras or Cotes du Luberon which would fetch those prices.

"We'd be selling it for $12 to $14," Mr Poizat said.

"If you want to invest $500 in wine, there are far better and safer ways of doing it."

He said the names of the producers might be confused with the premier vineyards Chateau Grande Mayne in St Emilion and Domaine de Chevalier in Graves.

"Here we are talking little producers."

Research on the Internet uncovered an English wine club offering Domaine du Grande Mayne and Chateau Constantin-Chevalier wines for between œ2.80 and œ5 a bottle.

"I can't get it for that. I have to ship it over here," Mr Perry said.