Signed Viniana #65 1929 by Charles Walter Berry - Vintage Book, Wine History, London Wine Merchants, Berry Bros and Rudd LTD, 1920s

Viniana by Charles Walter Berry. A signed copy of No. 65 out of one hundred copies of this special edition.

Written by Charles Walter Berry. Introduction by H. Warner Allen. Published in London, 1929, by Constable & Co. LTD.

In the early 20th century, cousins Charles Walter Berry and Francis Berry led the venerable Berry Bros & Co. of St. James's Place, established in 1698 as a grocer's and coffee seller, into the wine and spirits business now known as Berry Bros and Rudd LTD, and became among the most famous of all wine merchants, as well as the makers of Cutty Sark. And they had stories to tell. In Viviana, Berry tells the stories of claret, burgundy, and champagne, accompanied by eight delightful color illustrations. Signed by "Chas. W. Berry".

INTRODUCTION

"There are not a great many men to be found who know as much about wine, its subtle beauties and its delicate delights, as C. W. Berry; and all his knowledge, appreciation and generosity are at the disposal of his friends. There is a free masonry among wine-lovers. In that goodly fellowship the man who by some divine chance has unearthed a rare and precious bottle is at once preoccupied with an anxious thought: he feels that he owes it to a noble wine to share it with some other wine-lover worthy to enjoy its quality and able to discuss its peculiar merits. Selfishness is a vice unknown to the wine-lover, but there are few worshipers of Baccus so desperate in their generosity as the author of Viniana. ..."

CONTENTS

The Claret Dinner

The Burgundy Dinner

The Champagne Dinner

THE CHAMPAGNE DINNER

"This evening we must dismiss from our minds those still, yet exhilarating, wines which we have recently considered and turn our attention to the Sparkling Wines of Rhems and its neighbourhood.

"The follow, we will have an extraordinary treat in the shape of one or two wines which are known as the "Essence" of Tokay, but I will not enlarge on these at the present. To follow these, we will intimately dwell on the product of the Grande Champagne, Charente.

"As an envoy, I think that we should raise a glass to the immortal memory of Dom Perignon, the illustrious old monk who was the cellarer at the Abbey of Haut Villliers between the years 1670 and 1715. Through his daily intercourse with wine, he earned the reputation of having a palate of such extreme delicacy as to be able to distinguish what species of grapes were used in the making of any particular wine. It is to him that we owe the discovery of effervescent wine; so, Gentleman, here's to his cunning. ..."

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Condition*: Very Good. Lacks dust jacket, as issued. Signed by author. Price of 3lbs 10 penciled in top left corner of front endpaper. Marbled cover boards, deckled heavy linen paper, gold top stain on text block. Cover boards: Mild edge wear; corners are bumped; small, hard-to-see bump on front fore edge, the size of a fingertip; gentle fading along vellum spine, small closed tear at tail. Binding and hinges are tight and secure, pages are clean, crisp, and undamaged. Beginnings of foxing on the back endpapers.

* Based on Guidelines of the Independent Online Booksellers' Association.