Out with the old

My wine merchant sent me a copy of their 1909 price list today. It was fascinating, not only to look at the prices, which were surprisingly high, but also the order and tastes of our fellow wine lovers back then. This particular wine merchant, Berry Brothers and Rudd, were established in the 17th Century so I expect they have been more interesting records at their disposal. the first thing that struck me was that Sherry and Port were the first three pages, compared with today's list (also provided) that starts with their own label wines. I am sure that this reflects the commercial drivers of today's and yesterdays business but I am sure the tastes of Edward VII had a big impact on what people were buying in those days. What also struck me was that the big names were all there, Yquem, Lafite, Mouton Rothschild, Margaux, Pol Roger, Clicquot, Mumm, Krug, Bollinger, Romanee Conti etc. The Germans had 2 pages but nothing from Rhone, Italy, Spain, North America, South America, South Africa, Australia or New Zealand. Clearly in a mere 100 years our tastes have changed and wine distribution has gone global (I am sure they were making wine in these countries then, just not exporting them).

Its a great piece of marketing and a fascinating snapshot of social history, well done BBR!