Queen Elizabeth II is constantly under the public eye as the longest reigning monarch in the world but there may be things about her that are still not known to the public despite the numerous films, documentaries and shows based on her life.
One such little known fact is that the British monarch produces her own sparkling wine.
According to Food & Wine, the country’s “largest wine retailer,” Laithwaite’s, was given permission to plant a vineyard at a royal park — the Windsor Great Park —back in 2011. The location of the vineyard is close to the queen’s residence, the Windsor Castle.
The first harvest of grapes — mostly of the Champagne varieties like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier — took place in 2013. A small first batch of the wine — about 3,000 bottles — was released in December 2016 and sold out soon after.
While the wine is not of the best quality as it will need a few more decades to mature, the fact that it is being produced by the queen — under the banner of Windsor Vineyard English Quality Sparkling Wine — increases its value and makes it a cherished collectible.
“Rare vintages can go for astonishing prices,” Tamara Roberts, chief executive of Ridgeview Wine Estate, the U.K.-based processors and producers of the wine, told the Daily Mail. “It is impossible to guess how much it might be worth one day […] but it has all the right accolades, grown on the queen’s estate, the first vintage. Who knows?”
All those who are looking forward to picking up a bottle for themselves have nothing to worry about as another batch — which can be pre-ordered at Laithwaite’s for £34.99 (about $44) — will be available later this year, in the autumn of 2017.
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
