Cyril J J Berry (1918 – 4 November 2002) was a writer known for his book ''First Steps in Winemaking'', which has sold more than three million copies worldwide.
Throughout the first half of the 20th century,
homebrewing
Homebrewing is the brewing of beer or other alcoholic beverages on a small scale for personal, non-commercial purposes. Supplies, such as kits and fermentation tanks, can be purchased locally at specialty stores or online. Beer was brewed dom ...
in Britain was limited by
tax
A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...
ation, prohibition, and scarcity of ingredients during wartime. One of the earliest modern attempts to regulate private production was the
Inland Revenue Act 1880
Inland may refer to:
Places Sweden
* Inland Fräkne Hundred, a hundred of Bohuslän in Sweden
* Inland Northern Hundred, a hundred of Bohuslän in Sweden
* Inland Southern Hundred, a hundred of Bohuslän in Sweden
* Inland Torpe Hundred, a hundred ...
(
43 & 44 Vict. c. 20) in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
; this required a 5-
shilling
The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currency, currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 1 ...
homebrewing licence. In the UK, in April 1963, the UK
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The chancellor of the exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and the head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, t ...
,
Reggie Maudling removed the need for the 1880 brewing licence.
Following the end of sugar rationing in 1953 after the Second World War, and the repeal of the brewing licence, interest in brewing at home started to thrive. Berry was instrumental in this phenomenon as one of the founders of the first British
amateur
An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
winemakers' circle in
Andover, Hampshire
Andover ( ) is a town in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England. The town is on the River Anton, a major tributary of the River Test, Test, and lies alongside the major A303 road, A303 trunk road at the eastern end of Salisbury Plain, ...
and three other English counties in the 1950s. The movement grew quickly from these beginnings. By 1960 there were 86 known wine circles in the UK and over 100 by 1961. A 1962 estimate of membership put numbers at 30,000 in the UK alone. There are now hundreds of wine circles throughout the country and even virtual wine circles with online chat sessions and organised tastings. Berry was one of the founders of the National Association of Winemakers (UK) and served as its first chairman from 1960 to 1967. In 1963 he was instrumental in establishing the Winemaking National Guild of Judges (now National Guild of Wine and Beer Judges) and was one of its early chairmen.
Berry also produced the ''Amateur Winemaker'' magazine and published ''First Steps in Winemaking'', ''130 New Winemaking recipes'', and ''Home Brewed Beers and Stouts''. ''First Steps in Winemaking'' is notable as a resource for winemaking technique and recipe and is still in print following its original publication in 1960. It includes methods for traditional grape wines, as well as "country wines" using seasonal fruit and vegetables, tinned and dried ingredients, and commercial juices. It is the source for the simplest common method for measuring alcohol by volume in wine:
[C.J.J. Berry, 1987, First Steps in Winemaking, eighth edition, Special Interest Model Books Ltd, printed in UK]
*
Prior to his retirement in 1967, Berry worked as a newspaper editor, most notably for the ''Andover Advertiser''. Berry served as mayor of Andover in 1972–73. He was an alumnus of the
Andover Grammar School and published ''Old Andover'', , a collection of local photos and records dating from 1840 to 1960.
Berry died in Nerja, Spain, in 2002.
Publications
''First Steps in Winemaking'',
''130 New Winemaking Recipes'',
''Home-Brewed Beers and Stouts'',
References
External links
''Former Editor Dies'', Southern Daily Echo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Cyril
British writers
British newspaper editors
1918 births
2002 deaths
People from Andover, Hampshire
British winemakers