We know all about wine’s importance in the development of human civilization. Countless political alliances, trade deals, and power broking have been conducted over a fine Burgundy or Bordeaux. Yet, who supplies them? Who goes out of their way to speak with the vineyard owners and agriculturalists? Wine merchants, of course. Today, we focus on the United Kingdom’s oldest wine merchant business, Berry Bros. & Rudd (BBR).
Founding And Evolution
BBR has been around since 1698, serving as the premier wine merchant for England and eventually the whole U.K. The company was started by the Widow Bourne and her two daughters. She opened a shop at No. 3 St. James’s Street, across from St. James’s Palace, the official principal residence of the British monarchy.
One of the widow’s daughters, Elizabeth, married William Pickering, and they took over operations. In 1734, after William passed away, their sons William Jr. and John assumed control of the business. And in 1754 after John’s death, William Jr. asked John Clarke,a family member, to be his business partner.
In 1760, the shop became the wine supplier for King George III. This move was the first of many future agreements between the Royal Family and the shop, but we’ll get to that later.
Photo Courtesy Wikimedia
You might have noticed that the original shop owners weren’t named Berry or Rudd. The name change came in the 19th century. John Clarke’s grandson, George Berry, traveled from Exeter to London to work at the shop in 1803.
By 1810, Berry’s name was above the facade at the St. James’s Street market. His sons — George Jr. and Henry — took over in 1845, thus making it the Berry Brothers’ business. After World War I (1920), Hugh Rudd would join, bringing a deep knowledge of Bordeaux and German wines.
Another reason BBR gained popularity was hosting secret meetings for Napoleon III, the exiled heir of Napoleon Bonaparte, the French dictator, in the 1830s. The shop was a smuggler’s den during American Prohibition, and they helped bootleggers import Scotch whiskey. And in 1912 BBR lost about 69 cases of wine – when the Titanic sank!
More recently, the Royal Family announced that BBR would continue to serve King Charles III as the official wine supplier for the British Crown.
Sustainability Practices
Today, BBR is committed to maintaining its heritage while blending in modernity. Its sustainability measures aren’t too different from those of competing international wine merchants, but they are just as effective at combatting the waste problems and emissions related to viticulture.
The BBR sustainability plan revolves around making agriculture as emission-free as possible. The company has reduced fertilizer and chemical use, promoting biodiversity through live grapevines and natural carbon sequestration.
Water management is another key aspect of its sustainability model, collecting rainwater in a 6,000-liter cistern that feeds into the greywater system in its warehouse.
BBR tries to cut out any heavy-metal use at vineyards, such as copper sulfate solutions, which treat mildew. The soil absorbs these chemicals, and the wine’s taste is often affected. Runoff is also a major worry.
Solar energy has been installed at the BBR warehouse. The 2022 company sustainability report said BBR wanted to switch to 100% solar energy, but only half is covered. BBR is waiting for U.K. national solar energy policies to be enacted. Partner vineyards are using solar arrays for their power needs, too. Electric fleet vans and charging points have been installed, and the warehouse also uses low-energy LED lights.
BBR’s 2022 sustainability report said the company was also working to replant cork trees in Portugal. Many winemakers stand by using natural cork, but sourcing it involves cutting down trees. Replanting the trees will help resupply BBR and continue carbon sequestration. With the regenerative agriculture practices it has implemented, soil health improvements might see the trees grow back faster.
Tackling The Glass Dilemma
Glass waste is a unique issue for BBR. Glass is infinitely recyclable, but wine producers rarely reuse bottles. BBR says that glass makes up 40% of its total carbon footprint.
The business has been working with the nonprofit Glass Futures and a recycling firm called encirc360 to recycle glass bottles.
Glass pellets will be used for new bottles with furnaces run on biofuels. This process produces 90% less carbon dioxide than traditional glass melting. The U.K. has several biofuel-run furnaces. In Continental Europe, hybrid furnaces are gaining popularity.
“We all have our part to play,” the company stated in the report. “We must recycle our glass, and we must put pressure on the government to make it easy for everyone to do so, wherever they are in the country. We must stop sending 130,000 tons of infinitely recyclable glass to landfill every year.”