F & B
Tamilselvan hosts Dom Perignon lunches and dinners at the resort ’ s underwater restaurant . All have sold out within a day or two . “ Often , customers tell us how they had been planning this trip to the Maldives for two or three years , and most of the time it ’ s a once-in-a-lifetime experience . Wines should be an important part of that experience ,” Tamilselvan says .
Tamilselvan has worked hard to establish relationships with producers , vineyards and brokers , and he has selected distributors that help him ensure the remote island receives the wine in the best condition . Running out is always a risk .
“ It involves many different logistics , and transportation is always unpredictable ,” he says . “ But because we focus on more fine and rare wines , our customers are often surprised to see some wines on my list that they struggle to find back home in Europe .”
Tamilselvan says Maldivian taxes and customs can add an average of a 200 % to a bottle ’ s cost . “ As a sommelier , I can ’ t do anything when it comes to price , but what I can do is create value for the money that my customers spend … When you
drink this wine , you ’ ll have great pleasure and enjoy it so much that you won ’ t feel bad about the money ,” he says .
Recently , a customer ordered a bottle of Madeira Terrantez , dating to 1795 , which sold for US $ 12,120 . He says he got goosebumps opening it – and then the customer gave him a taste . “ It almost looked like a cognac in color . The customer said , ‘ I don ’ t want to drink this wine , I just want to smell it for two days .’ It was a moment you didn ’ t want to end .”
SATISFYING THE GUEST The Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa ’ s “ upside down wine dinner ” program invites guests to meet with Alvarez to pick out wines , which then are paired with dishes prepared by chef Daniel Camacho . “ We recommend that they do this on one of the beginning nights of their stay so that they can then enjoy the wines with other meals , like enjoying their sparkling wine with mimosas the next morning at breakfast ,” Alvarez says .
He and the staff also selected a winemaker in the
FHA HORECA
Singapore 3 – 6 March 2020 Hall 4 · Booth 4C 1-07
INTERNORGA Hamburg 13
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GULFHOST
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The multifunctional well which helps you being even more flexible
Temperature separately adjustable from – 5 ° C to + 140 ° C
+ 140 ° C
– 5 ° C
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