About Me

My photo
Dublin, Ireland
Hi, I'm Dermot Nolan, and I became a Master of Wine (MW) in 1997, and resigned from the Institute of Masters of Wine in 2023 after being an MW for exactly 26 years. I opened a wine shop in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland, called The Wine Library, which closed in 2018, and this is my personal wine blog. I will do my utmost to be fair and responsible in my posts – please read my Who Pays article in re the ethics of wine trips and writing. I have worked in wine education, retail, and consultancy since 1990. I was a Director of the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) from 2008 to 2014 and was also a member of the Events Committee, founder of the Trips Committee, and member of the Governance Committee. Having had problems with potentially libellous comments from unidentifiable posters, I now require that if you post a comment, you must identify yourself properly or it won't be published. Please note that I do not review products or services on request so kindly don't ask. I value my independence and I believe my readers (few that they may be) do so also.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Monopolies are bad for you, aren't they?

Hmmm, all of us who are lucky enough to survive in a so-called free-market economy are well aware that one of the worst things that can exist is the monopoly. It's anti-capitalist, anti-consumer and probably the most evil thing that keeps economists sweating in their sleep at night. Read on, faithful reader...

Decanter News has a story today that will make you ALL want a monopoly. In Sweden, the state run wine monopoly, Sytembolaget, is selling Domaine de la Romanee Conti wines at incredibly low prices (low for wines of the Domaine, I hasten to add ;)). Romanee Conti 2006 will sell for the equivalent of £2,300, as opposed to £4,000 - £5,000 for the same wine in the UK. The monopoly adds a margin of£0.33 (yes - 33 pence) to the wine, plus 19% of the cost. So, off to Sweden we go...

No comments: