The History of Extra Ordinary Claret

Good Ordinary Claret was introduced to the world in 1973, by my cousin and predecessor as Chairman, Christopher Berry Green.

The world was a very different place 38 years ago. But even then the oldest established wine merchants were very conscious of the rise of the supermarket, and it was obvious that our customers required `everyday' Claret as well as wines from the most famous châteaux. Furthermore, we believed - and still believe - that we were in a better position than the supermarkets to provide it.

However, some credit for the immediate success of the wine must go to Christopher's inspired choice of name. Believing that we were doing nothing new, he searched back through old price lists and was reminded that, in Edwardian times, most of the Claret we sold was bottled by us, and labelled not with the name of the château but our trademark and a `descriptor' - `Choicest', `Rarest', `Finest', `Of Exceptional Quality'.

One in particular caught his eye: "Good, Ordinary" - the comma was dropped, and a brand was born. Within a few years GOC accounted for every other bottle of Claret we sold. Part of its appeal was certainly its quality, part its consistency; but certainly part was to do with the understated, almost wilfully ironic nature of its name. Some people - including a couple of wellknown wine writers - still haven't quite recognised the irony.

So in 2005, thirty-two years later, we were proud to present GOC's rather upmarket offspring. In a time when Bordeaux is under pressure for all but its very top wines, it is a reminder that you don't have to remortgage the children to drink real, classic Claret. And what better name for it than Extra Ordinary Claret? 

Simon Berry, Chairman