One year after opening its Washington, D.C. operation, Berry Bros. & Rudd has introduced House of 1698, a tiered private-client membership program targeting American fine wine and spirits collectors at annual spend thresholds of $15,000, $50,000, and $100,000.
The program, which launched globally on October 13, carries the name of the year the London-based merchant was founded at No. 3 St James's Street — where it has traded continuously ever since. Its arrival in the U.S. market signals a deliberate move to deepen commercial relationships with high-net-worth collectors beyond transactional bottle sales.
The Tier Structure
House of 1698 runs across three membership levels — Green at $15,000 annually, Gold at $50,000, and Black at $100,000 — with each tier unlocking progressively personalized service, rare allocations, and invitation-only experiences. Clients qualify either through purchases logged over the preceding 12 months or by placing the qualifying sum on account for future use against purchases and events. The Black tier is positioned as an elite cohort of the merchant's most committed global clients.
"Our first year in Washington, DC has given us a close view of how American wine enthusiasts want to engage with wine today," said Claudia Chamberlain, Head of U.S. at Berry Bros. & Rudd. "They want to meet the people who make the wines, visit the places they come from and share them with others who love wine as much as they do."
U.S. Market Context
The launch arrives as the premium and ultra-premium wine and spirits segment continues to attract capital and attention from established Old World merchants seeking foothold in the U.S. collector market. Berry Bros. & Rudd entered the U.S. in November 2025 with a brick-and-mortar shop in Washington, D.C., a 24/7 e-commerce site, and private client teams in New York, Miami, and Houston — a geographic spread that tracks high concentrations of fine wine spending.
The business is led in the U.S. by Jamie Ritchie, formerly Global Chairman of Wine & Spirits at Sotheby's, whose auction-house background is directly relevant: Berry Bros. & Rudd also entered the fine wine auction space in 2024, adding a secondary-market channel alongside its primary retail and private client business. The convergence of retail, auction, and now membership revenue streams reflects a broader industry trend toward lifecycle monetization of collector relationships — a model long established in luxury goods and increasingly adopted across the beverage alcohol segment.
Chair Lizzy Rudd framed the program around the social and experiential dimensions of collecting. "For generations, our role has extended beyond helping our clients acquire exceptional bottles," she said. "It is about understanding their tastes, introducing them to new discoveries, and bringing them closer to the people and places behind the wines and spirits."
Operator Relevance
For on-premise operators and beverage directors tracking premium spirits and fine wine procurement, the House of 1698 model is worth monitoring as a signal of where supplier-side investment is flowing. High-touch private client programs create allocation advantages that can affect what reaches the open market — tightening supply on sought-after labels at the restaurant and fine dining level. The program's co-CEO appointments — Emily Rae and Rob Symington named earlier in 2026 — add executive depth as the merchant pursues U.S. scale. Berry Bros. & Rudd has also held B Corporation certification since 2025, a credential that increasingly surfaces in procurement conversations with sustainability-focused operator groups.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
