A couple of weeks ago British Pathé released 85 000 of their archive films onto YouTube. So I did some digging around and came up with some more old Pathé films with a wine connection, following yesterday’s post with the two old Douro films.
From 1968, we have this lovely film of Madeira, the island of wine. It starts off touristy – look out for Ed Sheeran in a bullock cart at 1.57 – but the wine content comes in strongly at about 3.15, with some nice foot treading action at 4.02.
There’s another Madeira film here, from 1952. You have to love the line, ‘but British initials guarantee its quality’ (0.59):
here we have a clip on Australian wine festivals from 1965
‘Wine is becoming increasingly popular as a drink for all ages’, states this short film on a Monty Python-esque wine ceremony in Bordeaux from 1963. It’s properly of its time, with two young ‘stewardesses’, and some serious chemical agriculture (2.33):
Wine bottling in the City of London, from 1956 – this is Port. Until 1970, most Port was shipped in pipes (the barrels used for ageing it) and then bottled by the shipper.
A film of a harvest in Paarl, South Africa, from 1962.
An old film of the Champagne Harvest in Epernay on recaptured ground, 1918 (silent)
The history of English wine production. Major-General Sir Guy Salisbury Jones established Hambledon Vineyards in 1951. It was the first English vineyard of modern times. he went to France with his head gardener Mr Blackman to enquire as to whether he had any chance at all. In 1955 he produced his first wine. By 1959 production reached the heady heights of 780 bottles a year, and by the time this film was made he was turning out just over 1000 bottles.
It’s fun to see a hand-operated crusher/destemmer working (1.36).
Champagne Story, from 1963, has some lovely footage of disgorgement and bottling
And, finally, the Barossa Valley grape harvest 1962, a short film:
Love the videos..
1962 – the year of the legendary 60A
great old films – you could lose a few days scouring for more!