Today Berrys’ launched their ‘Future of Wine Report’, attracting a whole host of media attention including an article in the Guardian and an appreciative mention on Jancis Robinson’s website.

The world of wine can change pretty quickly. So much has changed over the last 50 years that we thought it would be fun, and instructive, to consider what might be happening in another fifty years, in 2058.

Four of us – Alun Griffiths MW, Simon Field MW, David Berry Green and myself – were locked in a room with bread and water for sustenance until we could come up with some worthwhile thoughts. It made sense to divide the market into ‘volume’ and ‘fine wine’, under which headings we looked at where it would come from (China!), what it might taste like, what technological advantages might have come through and how much it might cost.

Following the last point up, I snuck a look at an old Berry’s price list from 1958 and saw Château Latour 1955 quoted at 15/6d (a snip, you cry). We have some in stock today at a mere £ 1540.00 per bottle, which I reckon is a multiplication in cost of about 2,000! If that replicates itself over the next 50 years then Latour 1955 would be worth over £ 3 million a bottle – frightening thought.

Have a look at our various thoughts