D+B brings Fat Bastard wines to Cebu

 D+B owner Gordon Allan Joseph tasting his wine
D+B Wine Shop has brought to Cebu the Fat Bastard wines, adding to its long list of wines its customers can choose from.

“We are introducing six wines: two whites and four reds. We have, for the whites, the sauvignon blanc, chardonnay; and the reds: pinot noir, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and syrah,” said D+B owner Gordon Allan Joseph.

Joseph said the Fat Bastard wines are selling like hot cakes not only in Cebu but to areas like Manila, Bacolod, Davao and Cagayan de Oro, where they ship truckloads of this brand. D+B, which has been in the business since 2003, introduced the first line of Fat Bastard in 2009.

D+B has 318 wines available in its store at Crossroads, Banilad, Cebu City; and about 800 in its list.

Joseph, who considers himself a wine connoisseur, said their wines can also be found in some restaurants and hotels, where they are a supplier, but not in any commercial areas, as they are reportedly particular with the exclusivity of their products.
  
“Basically the wines you find in D+B are exclusives to D+B. We don’t like selling wines that you find in supermarkets. We don’t sell wines that you can find in other stores,” he explained.

He said the wines they have in the store are the ones they personally choose and like. His wife, Corrine, is also an expert in wines. The wines they have are from France, Australia, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, New Zealand, Romania, and other countries.

Of the many wines in the list, not one is made from the Philippines, this is because, according to Joseph, the wines here are usually fruit-based and “undeveloped”.

“For us, we like wine. Every wine, regardless of the county, is the wine we like. Corrine and I drink different wines all the time,” he said, adding that the ones they like are the ones that can be found in their menu.

And although he would want to also sell products from the Philippines, the quality of wine we have here still needs to be improved.

“People have been trying to make fruit wines - mango wine, banana, duhat, strawberry. They’re really undeveloped,” he said.

Noting that 60 to 70 percent of his clients are Filipinos, Joseph said the Philippines “should have wines”, which are “well made.”

But while their wines at D+B could be rare, as these are not easily made available in wine stores, Joseph said these are still cheap. The price of their Fat Bastards, for example, is between P400 to P500 per bottle.

D+B Wine Shop has been in the business for 11 years, and counting. Joseph said they owe their business’s strength reportedly from the quality of wines they have inside the store. He said because of the long list of wine choices, there are people who ask for their suggestions, which they willingly give.

“You may not like my wine but I guarantee you, if I recommend the wine to you and if you don’t like it, bring the bottle and I give your money back,” he said.

Majority of D+B’s customers, according to Joseph, are hotels, resorts and restaurants; while about  40 percent of them are individuals, who come to their shop. There are expats, locals – Cebuanos and Manila people who live in Cebu.

The shop may seem overflowing with wines, from the door to the stairwell; but it can hold functions for 20 to24 people. Joseph said people book the place, where they dine and enjoy the wine, and sometimes hear the owners talk about wines.



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