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Dubai airport breaks duty-free wine sale record

A fine wine store at Dubai Airport is claiming a world record after a customer spent a total of US$107,000 on eight bottles of wine.

The customer made the purchase on one visit to Le Clos fine wine and luxury spirits boutique in Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 3 on 22 August.

Almost doubling the previous world record for a single wine purchase in travel retail, the splurge included bottles of 1947 and 1961 Château Pétrus, as well as a magnum of the 1959 vintage.

The shop said the record was a sign that demand for high-end wines was growing again nearly two years after the beginning of the global economic downturn.

‘We’ve seen a noticeable increase in customers purchasing high-value items for gifting, but also for personal consumption or to diversify their investment portfolios,’ said Andrew Day, CEO of Maritime and Mercantile International, owner of Le Clos.

The store had also seen ‘huge interest’ in en primeur sales for the Bordeaux 2009 vintage, he added.

Written by Richard Woodard

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