MACAU, CHINA. DFS Group presented an extraordinary range of rare, luxury and often exclusive wines and spirits at Masters of Wines and Spirits 2024 last weekend.
The Moodie Davitt Report was on hand to join DFS executives, VIPs, business partners, media and KOLs to witness the latest incarnation of the travel retailer’s acclaimed exhibition, now in its 12th year.
Themed ‘Ignite Your Senses’, Masters of Wines and Spirits 2024 represents what DFS called an expression of its unwavering commitment to curating extensive yet best-in-class luxury experiences for customers across the globe.
The Macau event featured a series of expert-led VIP masterclasses featuring some outstanding wines and spirits and culminated in a gala event on 25 May.
Masters of Wines and Spirits offers travellers a chance to view some of what the retailer called its “extraordinary curation” at T Galleria by DFS, Macau, City of Dreams, running until the end of June.
As reported, for the first time, DFS this year also took Masters of Wines and Spirits to multiple locations, including a premiere showing outside Asia (Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York JFK airports).
This year’s edition showcases the most extensive collection in the event’s history, curated from over 100 renowned houses, DFS Group Senior Director Global Merchandising Spirits, Wine, Tobacco, Food, Partnerships Daniel Licari told The Moodie Davitt Report.
“What’s really exciting is we have over 200 individual bottles of wines and spirits,” he said.
“An event like this takes a lot of time and manual work. We are talking to brands and asking them what are the one or two SKUs that are not available anywhere else or they can only make available to DFS and that’s what sets us apart.
“And then there’s the authenticity. Our customers know that they are buying legitimate products and they are priced accessibly.”
Speaking of the outstanding wine selection, DFS Group Manager, Merchandise & Planning – Spirits, Wine & Tobacco Fraser Wotzke noted, “I’ve tried to go back a few decades. Customers can find the more recent vintages in places like Hong Kong and Macau. But we’re trying to bring them something unique, curate something that has provenance, which is massively important.
“So you’ll find quite a few single bottles and back vintages, because we… want people to take back a cherished bottle from when they are in Macau.”
DFS works closely with its long-time negociants and top Bordeaux estates, for example, to ensure the provenance and quality of its wines, Wotzke emphasised, highlighting the example of a certified 1939 vintage Château Cheval Blanc.
This year’s assortment has been complemented for the first time by an emphasis on white Bordeaux as well as some great Burgundy wines, he added. This year, DFS has also championed single cask Scotch whisky single malts, including seven on offer in Macau, all exclusive to the retailer {More to follow on The Moodie Blog}.✈
A CURATED SELECTION LIKE NO OTHER
Something for the connoisseur
DFS introduced a range of fine and rare collectible whiskies to this year’s Masters of Wines and Spirits, including Glenmorangie Pommard Cask Finish 25 Year Old; The Macallan – The Golden Age of Travel: The Motor Car; Tomatin Highland Scotch Single Malt Aged 50 Year; and Royal Salute The Age Collection II.
The retailer also unveiled an enhancement to its Single Cask selection, a curated assortment of single cask whiskies from Scotland, Japan, Australia and American distilleries representing what the travel retailer dubbed “the pinnacle of whisky collectability.
