Since taking office on 12 May, the Tory Lib Dem coalition has spent £18,000 on restocking the government wine cellars. We know this through the good work of Tom Watson MP, who made a suitable fuss about it over the weekend.
As well as the famous first growth clarets in the government cellars, it also holds the super-stylish third growth, beloved of the English upper classes, Chateau Palmer.
The greatest Palmer ever was the 1961. Indeed, it is one of the most elegant and glamorous wines ever made.
In 2005, millionaire Tory minister Alan Clark’s widow, Jane, sold a case from his cellar for £7,700. A single bottle of Palmer ‘61 currently retails for £1,800. (more…)