Ceremonial and Regalia

Historic Background

Every country in the world where wine has been made over the centuries has developed ceremonial by which the finished wine can be celebrated. In many cases this has been by the formation of ‘guilds’, usually local, where those involved can enjoy traditional local food, good company, and the fruit of their labours – vinified.

The Wine Guild reflects tradition. The regalia includes a banner, a mace and ‘the vine’. Members of Council wear velvet robes and hats when new members are enrolled, or ‘intronised’, and on visits to foreign countries.

Each member has an individual heavy medallion with the Guild’s crest in full colour

The Guild’s Regalia

The Guild’s Insignia

The Guild’s regalia are based upon the mediaeval Guild tradition with robes, medallions, banner and mace. Central to this is the insignia which appears as the motif on the Guild’s banner, is enamelled on members’ medallions, and is embroidered in wire on the Councillors’ gowns.

The symbols in the insignia represent:

The Globe: The World of Wine.
The Union Flag: The United Kingdom.
The Fleur de Lys: The Fédération Internationale des Confréries Bachiques, Paris, of which the Guild is a member.
The Ship: The historical connection of the UK with Bordeaux and the international wine trade.

The Guild’s Vine, which is incorporated into all of its ceremonial and used for the intronisation of new members, was commissioned by the Guild in 2002 from the celebrated London silversmith, Grant McDonald, who designed and executed an elaborate boss incorporating the Guild’s insignia, with the staff entwined in vine leaves and grape bunches. The vine was cut from original stock on the Beaulieu Estate.

Ceremonial

New members of the Wine Guild receive their Wine Guild Insignia from the Chancellor at Ceremonies of Intronisation (enrollment) held in conjunction with one or two major Wine Guild events each year, particularly The Winter Banquet held at the beginning of November.