Someone gave me a copy of the Berry Bros wine list from 1909 – not the original, they have reprinted it.
I had read about the popularity of German wines at that time, and the list says it all. The space given to German wines is the same as Bordeaux, and they were generally more expensive. The highest priced German wine on offer from a recent vintage was the 1904 Moselle “Berncastler Doctor” at 60 shillings (£3, $15.) That was the same as the most expensive recent first growth – the 1904 Haut Brion.
If you wanted a top mature wine, Prince Metternich’s 1893 Schloss Johannisberg Cabinet would cost you 200shillings (£10, $50). Most of the mature claret was offered between 50 and 100shillings, although the 1869 Lafite (“Grand Vin, Chateau bottled”) would also set you back 200shillings.
What a massive change in relative values there has been in the last 100 years between German wines and Bordeaux.
Some things don’t change, however. The 1888 Romanee Conti (“Estate Bottling”) was also among the most expensive wines at 200shillings.
No Rhone, no Californian, no en primeur, no points. In fact, there is nothing outside France and Germany apart from Port, Sherry, Madeira, and Tokay (“invaluable in cases of severe illness and for restorative purposes.”). In most cases the producer’s name is not given, just the year and where it came from. Everything is sold as ready to drink, apart from a few Bordeaux marked “for laying down.”
A note at the end says that for customers buying for use aboard their Yachts, wines can be supplied direct from Bonded Stock.
I have a copy of the 1940 Centennial Wine List from Antoine’s in NOLA and it is also rich in Germans but the most expensive white wine is a 15 year old bottle of Marquis de Murietta Rioja Blanco Reserva Ygay which is described as “The Corton Charlemagne of Iberia”.
German wines were really expensive that time. Perhaps whites were facoured more ten. Interesting read, thanks Jeff.
Cheers
Rainer
I think this was reprinted this year or last as a centennial commemorative, although I don’t know of what.
I’ve heard that too, about the German wines, and it’s something you occasionally see in period literature, too, such as references to “Steinberger Cabinet” as a special wine. I’ve wondered if their lofty reputation might be because at the sweeter levels they handled non-temperature-controlled shipping better.
On the other hand Champagne was held in extremely high regard in this country, and that’s perhaps the most susceptible to poor conditions. So maybe tastes just change.
1904 Haut-Brion - $15
2005 Haut-Brion - $1000
1904 per capita US income - $350
2009 per capita US income - $35,180
The H-B was, on a percentage of income basis, significantly more expensive in 1904. Pick a less stellar recent year and the difference becomes much greater.
You could have purchased 652 shares of GE Stock in 1904 for the price of that bottle of HB, which would be worth $7,628.00 now. Wonder if the H-B would be worth more? Perhaps!
Whoa… that’s even nerdier than my comparison, Todd.
I’m just sayin’.
I was gonna go uber-nerd, with a purchase price of an Italian cello from that year…but you wouldn’t want to go there. For SURE Melissa wouldn’t…
Actually, that’d be kind of interesting to me. I can imagine one scenario whereby a Postiglione in 1909 might have sold for, say, a couple of hundred bucks… versus, what, $250K today? On the other hand, maybe the value of such instruments was already recognized and priced accordingly. Do you have any idea?
Nice Google work, Steve! Vincenzo Postiglione! I know his work well, actually, both cellos and violins! Impressive research.
One of his better cellos might be around $200k on a good day…