A 160,000 franc bill wine specialist from Salt Bay
“Prices are absolutely over the top”
On Instagram, classic butcher Salt Bay (39) recently boasted of a bill from his restaurant that amounted to 160,000 Swiss francs. Guests paid CHF 129,000 for wine alone. Bligh wine expert Tobias Gizzi says.
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Turkish star restaurant influencer and classic butcher Salt Bay (39) charges high prices for his restaurants.
Turkish star restaurateur, influencer and classic butcher Salt Bay (39), whose real name is Nusred Koke, is facing a storm of anger on social media.
The reason: The classic butcher recently boasted on Instagram that his restaurant charged the equivalent of 160,000 francs. No, find his followers.
A mega bill for fine wines
For one steak alone, guests left up to 1,200 francs. Alcohol consumption is primarily responsible for the monster bill. Guests were delighted with five bottles of Petrus and two bottles of 2009 Petrus, a Chateau Margaux and a bottle of Louis XIII. In the end, they shelled out 129,000 francs for it.
But is this amount, which is more than the average annual income of Mr. and Mrs. Swiss, really fair, or is Salt Bay ripping off its customers? For Tobias GC (46), a wine educator and Swiss wine sommelier, the latter is clear.
According to GC, Petrus is one of the best Merlots in the world. The limited availability makes the wine a collector’s item among enthusiasts. “Unfortunately, these wines are often not drunk, but only serve as investment goods,” says Bligh Wine expert.
A price difference of tens of thousands of francs
However, if you look at the prices of fine wines, you realize that Salt Bay is charging its customers more than what the wine actually costs on the market. “The 2009 Petrus is available from the wine merchant Lucullus for 7,300 francs a bottle,” says GC. The roughly 52,000 francs that Salt Bay charged guests for two bottles was “absolute”.
The same goes for a bottle of Chateau Margaux. Here too, Gysi feels torn. “A good vintage usually costs less than 1000 francs”. The 4,000 francs demanded by Salt Bay was too high. This is also the case with the Louis XIII bottle. 11,000 francs flowed into the restaurant cash register. However, for a classic cognac, one usually forks out “only” 3,000 francs. (chit)
“Wannabe pop culture fanatic. Zombie advocate. Entrepreneur. Internet evangelist. Alcohol fanatic. Typical travel buff.”
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