|
|
|
Berry Bros. & Rudd can trace their history back to 1698, when the Widow Bourne established a business next to St. James's Palace, on the cobbled street that was to become one of the most famous thoroughfares in the world, St. James's Street. This business evolved over the years, from selling provisions and exotic spices, to providing the fashionable Coffee Houses of the area with their tea and coffee. It was at this time - the early eighteenth century - that the shop was rebuilt as it stands today, and acquired its celebrated 'address' and sign: "At The Sign Of The Coffee Mill". At the same time the Berry family were trading in Exeter as wine-merchants. John Berry had married Mary Clarke, one of the Widow Bourne's descendants, and his son George travelled to London in 1803 to take over the business. It is possible that wine had been sold from Number Three St. James's Street since the earliest days, but it was George Berry's arrival that really established the business in its present incarnation as one of the great wine merchants of the world. This reputation was gradually built up over the next 150 years, as the company attracted such luminary customers as Lord Byron and Beau Brummell, Pitt the Younger, the Duke of Wellington, Napoleon III, prime ministers Balfour, Melbourne, Peel and Asquith, Duff Cooper, John Nash and Edwin Lutyens, Gertrude Lawrence, Laurence Olivier and Evelyn Waugh. From the earliest days royalty came to Number Three, and the Royal Warrant was first awarded to the firm in 1906. Today's customers are just as distinguished - and at least two British comedians with their own home pages on the web! Berry Bros. & Rudd is still a family owned, private company, with the eighth generation now working in the business. The company has never stood still, however, or allowed tradition to get in the way of progress. This century has seen major developments. In 1923 the partners decided to produce a whisky for their customers which became one of the best selling brands in the world - Cutty Sark. In 1994 BBR became the first specialist wine merchant to open a Duty Free shop in a major international airport - Terminal 3 at London's Heathrow. And now they have a presence on the Internet - one of the oldest established firms yet to venture into this Brave New World, and certainly the first to offer such a dazzling array of the finest wines in the world. However we would never abandon tradition simply for the sake of change. Wine has been enjoyed for thousands of years, and certain factors remain constant. Our standard of service, for example, is of great importance to us. We all hear the complaint: "Whatever happened to Old Fashioned Service?" - at Berrys' we like to believe that it never went away. Storage and provenance are crucial, but frequently overlooked, elements in the quality and taste of any wine: six month's careless cellaring will turn the most expensive bottles to vinegar. We therefore store the vast majority of our stock in our own temperature-controlled cellars, and are scrupulous about the provenance of any bottles we may buy from other sources. Above all we appreciate that wine is meant to be enjoyed, and that all the wine-knowledge in the world can be distilled into one simple question: "Is it good to drink?" |
