How many times have you spent a couple of hundred or thousand pesos on a bottle of wine, which you got based solely on the “expert recommendation” of a salesperson, only to find out in one sip that it tasted like sandpaper?
Sadly, this is usually the case in the Philippines especially when you are tight on budget and have little to no knowledge on wines.
An Australian, who grew up in a vineyard in New South Wales and now living here in the country for about three years, noticed this gap for good wines that don’t cost an arm and leg.
Here at home, Chris Urbano said, a consumer has to shell out P4,000 to be guaranteed that a bottle is of good quality. But as a wine importer himself, Urbano said that price is too much.
“It’s not like it’s hard to buy alcoholic drinks in this country; it’s really quite easy,” he noted. “But what I found missing in the Philippine market is this big block in the middle—the good quality, value for money wine.”
His solution: a curated online marketplace where each bottle has been carefully selected by Urbano himself.
The Tagalog-speaking Australian founded Winery Philippines in 2016 to address the need for a channel that will bring quality, boutique wines to customers.
The Winery Philippines is launched exclusively online via winery.ph in order to sell great wines at the best prices possible.
The Winery Philippines initially offers 70 Australian and US wines “sourced from the best wineries,” but Urbano said they will eventually bring in Spanish, French, Chilean, and New Zealand wines in the next couple of months. “We vet everything before they make it on the website,” he guaranteed.
Purchasing takes only six clicks from homepage to checkout; and can be done on a desktop computer or on your mobile phone. Choose your bottle (choices include Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese, and Pinot Noir), add to cart, key in your shipping address, choose your payment method, and click “Complete order.”
Prices of the wines range from P690 to P2,590 only. Add P150 for delivery within Metro Manila, while shipping outside Metro Manila will go through a third party provider. Shipping for two bottles or more, meanwhile, is free of charge.
“And if you’re not happy with your wine, return it half full and we will refund your payment,” said Urbano.