This extravagantly dressed gentleman was perhaps the world’s first great wine collector… James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos (1673–1744) – portrayed here by Michael Dahl in 1719 – was a knowledgeable, discerning, and thrifty wine connoisseur.
Brydges made a fortune as Paymaster-General of His Majesty’s Forces. In those days nobody was bothered about people profiting from public office. Couldn’t happen now of course. (But read Private Eye magazine’s “Rotten Boroughs” section and weep.)
He was meticulous in monitoring the costs of his wines and of shipping them, as well as their quality. Chandos’s letters to wine merchants show his concerns about wines being stolen by highwaymen or corrupt customs officials.
He complained about the poor quality of some claret: “This must have happened from the neglect of your Coopers.”
He purchased claret, burgundy, champagne, and the then relatively unknown Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage, even though French wine was more heavily taxed than wines from Spain or Portugal.
“The Clarets that suit my Taste are the Margaux”, he wrote in a letter; “The fuller & richer they are in the Mouth the better I like them”.