Anyone else heard the rumor that Berry Brothers & Rudd have been refused a license to open in NYC?

Hello and welcome, Parky!

Regulare readers will know that my ears perk up when I see a reference to Berry Brothers, since there is where I've gotten most of my beloved ports. I've not heard the rumour to which you refer, but of course I probably wouldn't have heard it since I'm no where near NYC. If you really want to know I suggest you e-mail Alex Murray via the Berry Brothers website (www.bbr.com). If they are opening a branch in NYC, you are in for a treat, as your probably know.

snow sucks, cold is worse.......

Thanks for the reply and the welcome - I've been viewing these pages regularly but never posted before.

I'm from London orginally and read about Berrys joining up with Sothebys to open in New York last year. As far as I' concerned the best wine store in the world - Forbes or someonne voted them that recently, so it's not just Brit prejudice! So the idea of them ebing here, and finally waking up the other wine stores here, made me very happy! Quite why they should be denied a license is beyond me - but I'll get hold of Alex as you suggest and report back.

I've been accused here more than once of being a paid shill for BBR (I wish!), so I'm glad to see another fan of the oldest wine store in London (and perhaps the world?). I was actually lucky enough to be given a private tour of the St. James Street wine cellars a couple of years ago, perhaps because I bought so much port there, or because of the trouble I went to, to get it to Pakistan where I was living at the time. In any case, if you get a chance to visit you'll feel like you're in a timewarp back to the 19th century (and not just because there are bottles down there from then!)

snow sucks, cold is worse.......

I agree - they're the originals and everyone else seems to be imitations. Fantastic contacts with the wine growers, and ability to get hold of the very best. To have them in the US would be great, and i only hope that these stories are not true.

They have been trying to open a high-end shop in New York in a joint venture with Southeby's. WS reported on it here.

Did not know they failed to get a license.

No news from Alex Murray yet but he'll probably get back to me tomorrow. I'll let people know what he says if you're interested.

Seems strangely evasive:


 Thank you for your e-mail.
 
I should be able to respond to your query within a few days. Sorry to be so elusive at present!
 
Best wishes,
 
Alex
Internet Manager





Anyone heard anything else?

I've gotten that reply myself in the past, then got a specific answer a few days later as promised. I think Alex may be out of the office.

snow sucks, cold is worse.......

Alex at BBR here. It was me replying. I just had to check a couple of details.

I can now confirm that the New York State Liquor Authority has turned down our application for a retail liquor license in Manhattan.

This ruling came as a surprise, and is obviously very disappointing to us and to Sothebys.

We expect to receive the reasons for this decision within the next two weeks, at which time we will decide how we proceed.

Best wishes,

Alex

Most unfortunate Alex, most New Yorkers would have welcomed the arrival of your firm. My guess is that you didn't grease the right palms.

"...soon they'll be bleary eyed under a keg of wine, Down where the drunkards roll." Richard Thompson.

What's going on here? A wine store this good tries to open here and teh State liquor Authority say no? Who are these guys? What's their agenda And can we residents of NYC do anyting about it?

quote:

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My guess is that you didn't grease the right palms.

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What? You mean some State Liquor Boards are influenced by politics and worse? Shocking!

I like your quote. Is that Richard Thompson of Richard & Linda Thompson fame? I don't know anything about them, but in college had this great bootleg tape of one of their albums, Shoot out the Lights. It was such a good LP - with songs like "Did She Jump or Was She Pushed" and "Wall of Death" - I am thinking of getting it on CD. Is it even available?

It is so nice to see you here! A search on "Berry Brothers" will show all the shameless promoting I've been doing on BBR's behalf. Not that I expect anything in return, of course...

But if you feel you must, I'm that nice Canadian diplomat who cannot live without your port, but whose work no longer takes him through London .

And greetings to Chris and his Heathrow 3/4 gang too please.

snow sucks, cold is worse.......

CBMAC, You are correct. It is Richard Thompson of the album "Shoot out the Lights" which is the last record he made with his then wife Linda. That record garnered the usual critical acclaim it deserved. "Back Street Slide and It's Just the Motion" are particular favorites. Almost all of his recordings are on cd and well worth the investment. His live performances either acoustic or electric with the band are awesome. His guitar playing continually improves and never ceases to amaze me. Check out one of his recent efforts "Mock Tudor" songs like "Cooksferry Queen", "Sibella", and "Bathsheeba" are examples of his songwriting skills and his guitar playing virtuosity. He is the one musician I will always pay to see and have been lucky enough to see him dating back to 1982 including 3 trips to your fair country to see him play. (And drink Real Ales!) Check out his website. http://www.richardthompson-music.com/

"...soon they'll be bleary eyed under a keg of wine, Down where the drunkards roll." Richard Thompson.

Hey guys - what's going on? We discover that one of the greatest wine companies in the world has been denied a license by NY's authority. We accept, blithely, that this wasn't a decision based on protecting our innocent citizens from unscrupulous traders, but probably a politically influenced act (or worse). And we go on discussing favorite Zins, flirtatious misunderstandings between our cyberfriends and rock lyrics from the 70s...

Who are the losers here? We see protectionist behaviour that would make a Frenchman bush and we shrug it off! Geddahtofit (as we used to say on the Highbury terraces back in London).

Who's up for a fight with the Liquor authorities?