Relationships Between the Spanish Bodegas

Williams looked after the Spanish side of the business and Engelbach set up an office in London. To begin with, they rented a corner of a bodega and bought a solera as a going concern. It produced a fresh, delicate fino-amontillado--one of the wines just then being pioneered on the British market. They called it Pando, and first shipped it on June 23, 1878. It continued to be shipped long after that.

Their first order, however, was not for wine at all but for six hundred boxes of raisins, and during their first year they only succeeded in shipping eleven butts and twenty-four dozen bottles of sherry. But Mr. Humbert need not have worried about his thousand pounds. The new firm survived the phylloxera, weathered the depression, and soon became prosperous. Being new to the trade, Williams and Humbert could supply the great stores which, thanks to Gladstone's policy, were able to form their own wine departments.

With unlimited enthusiasm and capital, these stores could compete with anyone, both in quality and value, but, not unnaturally, they were abominated by the old-established wine merchants, and many sherry shippers refused to supply them for fear of offending their old customers. A new shipper had no old customers to lose, and he could make the most of these markets.

There was great friendliness between the rival bodegas. They may have competed furiously for the markets of the world, but they did so without any ill feeling. In fact they went out of their way to help one another. When Alexander Williams started in business he was short of capital and made ready use of negotiable bills, which was usual at the time and is still far more common in Spain than in England.

Unfortunately one of the local bill brokers was the very epitome of tactlessness: he took one of Williams's bills and tried to discount it to Joseph Warter. By that time Williams, the upstart clerk, the pushing young man, was the anathema of Warter. He was beginning far too well. Warter would have nothing to do with the bill and said so in no uncertain terms. The broker was dismayed.

The new firm survived the phylloxera, weathered the depression, and soon became prosperous. Being new to the trade, Williams and Humbert could supply the great stores which, thanks to Gladstone's policy, were able to form their own wine departments.