BBC 4 Tonight Wine

Excellent bit of TV, last nights mainly concerned Berry Bros and Rudd, ( the oldest wine merchant in the world), watching the buyers off in claretland and burgland, gave insight into process of en primeur buying. Mr Prats of Cos came across a bit arrogant. The 2007 en primeur campaign was a disaster and Berry Bros only bought 10 cases of Cos, as against 100's for

JT

I was pleasantly surprised. It was an excellent bit of TV and it showed that beneath their bonhomous exteriors the BBR buyers could be decidedly hard nosed. The blind tasting at the dinner for M Prats was also worth it alone.

The cause of my surprise was becauset the write up on the BBC4 website made it sound like a hatchet job. I don't know whether

a) the blurb writer hadn't watched the programme b) had an oak chip on their shoulder c) the BBC felt it had to put a less positive spin on it

Below the BBC's rather peculiar take on it

After 310 years of business there is still a Mr Berry at the helm as bombs, wars, kings and queens have come and gone, but this charmed existence may be under threat as the credit crunch bites deep. The film unwittingly becomes a chronicle of the changing world order, where the super-rich look alarmingly as though they are about to turn into the ancient regime.

Quaint anachronism it might seem from the outside, but this is the firm that turned fine wine into the sine qua non of the super-rich. Everyone here, from Berry's larger-than-life Bordeaux and Burgundy buyers to the eccentric and ambitious chateau owners and producers they do business with, services what seemed to be the ever-increasing demand for the finest wines available to humanity, until the rot creeps in and threatens three centuries of history.

James James Dempster

You know you've had a good night when you wake up and someone's outlining you in chalk.

Here's the link:

Waaah! The video is only available in the UK!

Unfortunately one cannot watch these programs on internet outside the UK