Berry Brothers and Rudd
Encyclopedia
Berry Bros. & Rudd is a wine and spirits merchant based in the United Kingdom. The company sells wine from around the world, including en primeur
wines from Bordeaux
, Burgundy
, the Rhône
and Italy
. The company also sells a number of wines and spirits under its own label 'Berrys' Own Selection'. Wine storage, wine tastings and wine schools feature amongst the many services offered as well.
oldest wine
and spirit
merchant: in 1698 it opened its doors for the first time at 3 St. James's Street
, London
, United Kingdom
, and today it continues to trade from the same premises.
Founded by the Widow Bourne, the company has supplied the Royal Family since the reign of King George III. A first Royal Warrant was awarded in 1903 by King Edward VII and today Berrys hold two Royal Warrants for H.M. The Queen and H.R.H. The Prince of Wales. Celebrated customers have included Lord Byron, William Pitt the Younger
and the Aga Khan
.[1]
In 1923 it created the Cutty Sark
Scot's whisky. More recently it created a range of top quality spirits, including The Glenrothes
single malt whisky, No. 3 Gin and The King's Ginger liqueur. The Cutty Sark label was sold to The Edrington Group in 2009.
Berry Bros. & Rudd was the first wine merchant to open an online wine shop in 1994; today it also boasts an App and an online wine trading platform called BBX (Berrys' Broking Exchange).
The company has two shops in the United Kingdom - its flagship store at 3 St. James's Street, London and a discounted store in Basingstoke, Hampshire called the Bin End Shop. Abroad it has offices in Japan, Hong Kong
and Shanghai. The historic wine cellars at their 3 St. James's Street, London
premises play host to the company's wine school and hospitality venues, which may be hired for private functions.
. Buying wines from BBX is not exclusive to Berrys' customers and consequently the concept has been a huge success, with sales exceeding £1 million pounds and 11,000 bottles traded within the first 60 days.
London Shop - Berry Bros. & Rudd's London Shop at 3 St James's Street has changed little since it was opened by the Widow Bourne in 1698. It boasts an extensive range of wines and spirits from £5 to £5000.
Honk Kong Shop - Berrys' Hong Kong Wine Shop in Lee Gardens showcases a superb range of fine and rare wines, ports and champagne as well a great collection of exquisite wine accessories and a dedicated tasting room.
Bin End Shop - Pioneering a completely new concept in wine retail, Berrys' Bin End Shop in Basingstoke
offers a wide selection of genuine bin-end wines, all at a guaranteed minimum 25% discount.
, MW
, Alun Griffiths MW, Simon Field MW and David Berry Green, drew up a document of speculations into the state of the wine industry in the coming 50 years, The Future of Wine report. Among the predictions for 2058 were suggestions that China
may become one of the world's biggest producers, that grapes will be grown hydroponically in floating offshore vineyards, and honey bees could be trained to detect wine fault
s.
♦ Awarded the Whisky Magazine medal for Independent Bottler in the Icons of Whisky Awards 2011
♦ Berrys was shortlisted for Decanter 2010 Wine Merchant of the Year Award.
♦ In February 2010 Berrys won the Off Licence News Online/Direct Mail Retailer of the Year Award
♦ In 2009 Berrys’ won coveted title of Wine Merchant of the Year at the International Wine Challenge. As well as this top accolade, Berrys was also crowned Direct Wine Merchant of the Year, En Primeur Merchant of the Year and Rhône Specialist Wine Merchant of the Year. A successful award-winning week also saw Berrys awarded Decanter’s Online Wine Merchant of the Year.
♦ In September 2009, Whisky Magazine judged Berry Bros & Rudd Independent Bottler of the Year 2010 at the prestigious Icons of Whisky awards.
♦ In 2008, Berrys was voted the Best Online Retailer in the Decanter World Wine Awards and Best Burgundy Specialist in the IWC awards.
♦ Jane Macquitty (The Times Magazine, 13 September 2008) writes that three centuries of supplying wine to royalty has made BB&R an establishment name. "Don't let that put you off: BB&R now offers one of Britain's best online wine services, a wine club and school, plus tasting dinners and more. Quality has risen and prices slimmed down, with some sound own selection buys starting at sub-5, on up to the best of Bordeaux and Burgundy."
♦In 2007, Berrys was awarded International Wine Challenge
Regional Wine Merchant of the Year (London), Online Merchant of the Year and for second consecutive year, Whisky Retailer of the Year by the Icons of Whisky.
♦ In September 2006, Berrys was named Independent Wine Merchant of the Year at the Decanter World Wine Awards. Whisky Magazine named Berrys Whisky Retailer of the Year in the Icons of Whisky Awards.
♦ In 2006, International Wine Challenge picked up the most coveted title of Overall Wine Merchant of the Year. Berrys also swept the board by also winning the following awards;
Independent Wine Merchant of the Year;
Website of the Year;
Specialist Merchant of the Year - Burgundy; Specialist Merchant of the Year - Bordeaux;
Regional Merchant of the Year - London.
♦ In 2005, Berrys was awarded International Wine Challenge (IWC) Burgundy Wine Merchant of the Year and Website of the Year.
♦ In 2004 Berry Bros. & Rudd won International Wine Challenge (IWC) Overall Wine Merchant of the Year; Regional Merchant (London); Retailer of the Year (creativity) and Website of the Year
♦ Forbes.com named Berry Bros. & Rudd as `The World's Best Wine Shop' in November 2002
En Primeur
En primeur or "wine futures", is a method of purchasing wines early while a vintage is still in a barrel, offering the customer the opportunity to invest in a particular wine before it is bottled. Payment is made at an early stage, a year or 18 months prior to the official release of a vintage...
wines from Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, Burgundy
Burgundy wine
Burgundy wine is wine made in the Burgundy region in eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône River, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here - those commonly referred to as "Burgundies" - are red wines made from Pinot Noir grapes or white wines made from...
, the Rhône
Rhône
Rhone can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The company also sells a number of wines and spirits under its own label 'Berrys' Own Selection'. Wine storage, wine tastings and wine schools feature amongst the many services offered as well.
Berrys' History
Berry Bros. & Rudd is Britain'sUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
oldest wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
and spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
merchant: in 1698 it opened its doors for the first time at 3 St. James's Street
St. James's Street
St James's Street is one of the principal streets in the central London district of St James's. It runs from Piccadilly downhill to St James's Palace and Pall Mall...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and today it continues to trade from the same premises.
Founded by the Widow Bourne, the company has supplied the Royal Family since the reign of King George III. A first Royal Warrant was awarded in 1903 by King Edward VII and today Berrys hold two Royal Warrants for H.M. The Queen and H.R.H. The Prince of Wales. Celebrated customers have included Lord Byron, William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
and the Aga Khan
Aga Khan
Aga Khan is the hereditary title of the Imam of the largest branch of the Ismā'īlī followers of the Shī‘a faith. They affirm the Imamat of the descendants of Ismail ibn Jafar, eldest son of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, while the larger Twelver branch of Shi`ism follows Ismail's younger brother Musa...
.[1]
In 1923 it created the Cutty Sark
Cutty Sark
The Cutty Sark is a clipper ship. Built in 1869, she served as a merchant vessel , and then as a training ship until being put on public display in 1954...
Scot's whisky. More recently it created a range of top quality spirits, including The Glenrothes
The Glenrothes
The Glenrothes is a single malt Scotch whisky, produced at the Glenrothes Distillery, beside the Burn of Rothes in the Speyside region. The Glenrothes is used in blended scotch whiskies such as Cutty Sark and The Famous Grouse...
single malt whisky, No. 3 Gin and The King's Ginger liqueur. The Cutty Sark label was sold to The Edrington Group in 2009.
Berry Bros. & Rudd was the first wine merchant to open an online wine shop in 1994; today it also boasts an App and an online wine trading platform called BBX (Berrys' Broking Exchange).
The company has two shops in the United Kingdom - its flagship store at 3 St. James's Street, London and a discounted store in Basingstoke, Hampshire called the Bin End Shop. Abroad it has offices in Japan, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Shanghai. The historic wine cellars at their 3 St. James's Street, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
premises play host to the company's wine school and hospitality venues, which may be hired for private functions.
Berrys' Broking Exchange (BBX)
In 2010 Berry Bros & Rudd launched the first online fine wine trading platform which is called BBX (Berrys' Broking Exchange). It enables customers to sell their wines that are stored in the company's bonded warehouses. Customers can set their own selling price, but BBX also offers a free online valuation service using information from Liv-ex and Wine-SearcherWine-Searcher
Wine-Searcher is a web search engine dedicated to wine. The company was founded in London by Martin Brown in 1999. In 2006, the operation was shifted to Auckland in New Zealand. As of December 2010, the site listed more than 19,000 wine merchants offering in excess of 4 million products...
. Buying wines from BBX is not exclusive to Berrys' customers and consequently the concept has been a huge success, with sales exceeding £1 million pounds and 11,000 bottles traded within the first 60 days.
Berrys' Shops
From the Georgian ambiance of Number Three St James's Street to their ultra-modern shop in Hong Kong, all of Berrys' shops offer quality, individuality and a passion for wine.London Shop - Berry Bros. & Rudd's London Shop at 3 St James's Street has changed little since it was opened by the Widow Bourne in 1698. It boasts an extensive range of wines and spirits from £5 to £5000.
Honk Kong Shop - Berrys' Hong Kong Wine Shop in Lee Gardens showcases a superb range of fine and rare wines, ports and champagne as well a great collection of exquisite wine accessories and a dedicated tasting room.
Bin End Shop - Pioneering a completely new concept in wine retail, Berrys' Bin End Shop in Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
offers a wide selection of genuine bin-end wines, all at a guaranteed minimum 25% discount.
Berrys' Master of Wines
Berry Bros. & Rudd is the only company to boast five Masters of Wine in their ranks. There are only 289 Masters of Wine in the world.Wine Predictions
In May 2008, a team from Berry Bros. & Rudd, Jasper MorrisJasper Morris
Jasper Morris is a British Master of Wine since 1985, An expert on the wine of Burgundy, California and New Zealand, Jasper writes for several wine publications such as The World of Fine Wine, and holds lectures around the world....
, MW
Master of Wine
Master of Wine is a qualification issued by The Institute of Masters of Wine in the United Kingdom...
, Alun Griffiths MW, Simon Field MW and David Berry Green, drew up a document of speculations into the state of the wine industry in the coming 50 years, The Future of Wine report. Among the predictions for 2058 were suggestions that China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
may become one of the world's biggest producers, that grapes will be grown hydroponically in floating offshore vineyards, and honey bees could be trained to detect wine fault
Wine fault
A wine fault or defect is an unpleasant characteristic of a wine often resulting from poor winemaking practices or storage conditions, and leading to wine spoilage. Many of the compounds that cause wine faults are already naturally present in wine but at insufficient concentrations to adversely...
s.
Berrys' Accolades
♦ Awarded the Bordeaux Specialist Merchant of the Year award at the 2011 International Wine Challenge.♦ Awarded the Whisky Magazine medal for Independent Bottler in the Icons of Whisky Awards 2011
♦ Berrys was shortlisted for Decanter 2010 Wine Merchant of the Year Award.
♦ In February 2010 Berrys won the Off Licence News Online/Direct Mail Retailer of the Year Award
♦ In 2009 Berrys’ won coveted title of Wine Merchant of the Year at the International Wine Challenge. As well as this top accolade, Berrys was also crowned Direct Wine Merchant of the Year, En Primeur Merchant of the Year and Rhône Specialist Wine Merchant of the Year. A successful award-winning week also saw Berrys awarded Decanter’s Online Wine Merchant of the Year.
♦ In September 2009, Whisky Magazine judged Berry Bros & Rudd Independent Bottler of the Year 2010 at the prestigious Icons of Whisky awards.
♦ In 2008, Berrys was voted the Best Online Retailer in the Decanter World Wine Awards and Best Burgundy Specialist in the IWC awards.
♦ Jane Macquitty (The Times Magazine, 13 September 2008) writes that three centuries of supplying wine to royalty has made BB&R an establishment name. "Don't let that put you off: BB&R now offers one of Britain's best online wine services, a wine club and school, plus tasting dinners and more. Quality has risen and prices slimmed down, with some sound own selection buys starting at sub-5, on up to the best of Bordeaux and Burgundy."
♦In 2007, Berrys was awarded International Wine Challenge
International Wine Challenge
The International Wine Challenge is an annual wine competition. The International Wine Challenge assesses every wine blind and judges each for its faithfulness to variety, region and vintage. Every wine is assessed independently of its price...
Regional Wine Merchant of the Year (London), Online Merchant of the Year and for second consecutive year, Whisky Retailer of the Year by the Icons of Whisky.
♦ In September 2006, Berrys was named Independent Wine Merchant of the Year at the Decanter World Wine Awards. Whisky Magazine named Berrys Whisky Retailer of the Year in the Icons of Whisky Awards.
♦ In 2006, International Wine Challenge picked up the most coveted title of Overall Wine Merchant of the Year. Berrys also swept the board by also winning the following awards;
Independent Wine Merchant of the Year;
Website of the Year;
Specialist Merchant of the Year - Burgundy; Specialist Merchant of the Year - Bordeaux;
Regional Merchant of the Year - London.
♦ In 2005, Berrys was awarded International Wine Challenge (IWC) Burgundy Wine Merchant of the Year and Website of the Year.
♦ In 2004 Berry Bros. & Rudd won International Wine Challenge (IWC) Overall Wine Merchant of the Year; Regional Merchant (London); Retailer of the Year (creativity) and Website of the Year
♦ Forbes.com named Berry Bros. & Rudd as `The World's Best Wine Shop' in November 2002