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Royal Wedding news, from the Dutch trade magazine Gedistilleerd, Wijn, Bier, etc., 5th December 1950:

What a splendid wedding present.

Elizabeth II, from Buckingham Palace, wrote:11th February, 1948.

Dear Senhor de Barros,

I have been deeply touched by the kindness of the Grémio dos Exportadores de Vinho do Porto in sending me a Pipe of Port Wine as a Wedding Present. Both The Duke of Edinburgh and I think it most kind of you and your colleagues to shew your good wishes for our happiness by sending such a handsome present and we send you and them our most sincere thanks.

Yours sincerely,

Elizabeth.

The question remains, has it all been consumed?

Andy Velebil wrote:The question remains, has it all been consumed?

Exactly what I thought when I read it. And which vintage will it have been? Could well be 1945... not bad!

This is a very timely discovery, and it raises several questions..

..Is this Barros the port producer who is being written to here? One might have expected the British Association to have gifted a pipe, but Barros is very much in the Portuguese camp..

..was this a Barros VP? If so, it was probably the '45, which was actually made by Niepoort..!

..did Prince Charles get a consignment of port when he married, and if so, which one?

(..and did he get a second one.. )

..and, of course, are William and Kate about to enjoy a similar gift?

- if they are, it would not be untimely to put Andy's question to the palace..

Tom

[url=http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/486104/berry-s-boss-takes-over-queen-s-cellar]Decanter magazine[/url], on 4 January 2008, wrote:Simon Berry, head of Britain’s oldest wine shop, has been named the new clerk of the Royal Cellars.

The director of Berry Bros & Rudd was requested by the Queen to take over duties at Buckingham Palace in September 2007. He officially took the post on 1 January 2008.

If you have a question about the Royal cellars!

I wonder how much of this sort of giving goes on today? A pipe of Port, even at whole-sale prices, does seem like an awful lot...

State banquets might require considerable quantities of lubrication.

JacobH wrote:I wonder how much of this sort of giving goes on today? A pipe of Port, even at whole-sale prices, does seem like an awful lot...

Not really. Even if we imagine that it cost as much as £10 to make a bottle of VP the gift would be less than £7k. I am quite sure there will be many guests who will be spending more than that on a dodgy old frock and a pair of heels. (and I'm not just talking about Elton John)

In any event, this isn't a "cost" to the shipper, it's a lost opportunity for additional revenue, which has a tax advantage

So, to all you Port shippers out there who like my logic, please send me a PM if you need my address for delivery

And we are only assuming that it is a pipe of vintage port. It could be a pipe of a tawny or ruby blend - perhaps something along the lines of a Vintage Character.

That would make it an even lower value lost.

Have any commemorative bottles for the upcoming royal wedding come out? I have a Fonseca from Charles & Diana’s wedding.

mosesbotbol wrote:I have a Fonseca from Charles & Diana’s wedding.

1981? Please post a picture.

jdaw1 wrote:

mosesbotbol wrote:I have a Fonseca from Charles & Diana’s wedding.

1981? Please post a picture.

I am looking for a picture. I think there's one on I posted a few years ago. The bottle is buried and no picture in my photobucket folder. Still looking it for it...