In 1727 Marc Jacobs of Edinburgh made the remarkable decision to begin producing his own brand of wines. It was mostly remarkable simply because there was no chance of grapes growing with in 700 miles of Edinburgh. Actually, you would have to travel far far more than 1000 miles from Marc Jacobs house to find any land suitable for growing decent wine grapes.

It should be borne in mind that early in the 18th century the transport system and logistic abilities worldwide had been nothing like as sophisticated as they're nowadays. Transporting perishable goods around the world was a risky company at the most effective of times. But these difficulties certainly did not deter a man of the determination of Jacobs.

Jacobs first hired two tall mast ships to carry his products. They were to pick up the grapes from southern France and travel around the East Atlantic to Southampton within the United Kingdom. Jacobs had a partner in France by the name of Andr? Philippe who owned virtually 75 hectares of well maintained vineyards.

It was a marriage of convenience between the two men, and although these days it could appear a strange arrangement, it ought to be remembered that at the time the French government were very strict. The tax on all alcohol was close to 90%, there was just no profit in making wine to sell to the French. On the other hand the English would pay a premium, and the crown would take a very small percentage leaving the entrepreneurs with a wonderful deal of profit.

The two sailing vessels sailed from Edinburgh to the south of France continuously for the next 75 years. Jacobs of Edinburgh produced an estimated 1.8 million bottles of wine in that time. Although this may possibly not appear much by modern industrial standards, given the logistics involved in this wonderful procedure, it was a great achievement.

Records show that in 1770 the Edinburgh factory employs virtually 160 people. Jacobs had diversify his production into strong liquor and even sweets and pastries, typically with an alcoholic theme. Should you had been to visit Edinburgh you would locate a memorial stone where Jacobs factory once was in Bridge Street. A posh restaurant now stands on the web site where Jacobs factory once produced his wine.

Jacobs himself died in 1767, his son was a member of the local clergy and would not take ownership or responsibility for the firm because of his beliefs. Jacob's grandson Isaac took over the running of the wine company, and it remained within the Jacobs family until 1962 when it was sold to a large wine distribution network.

Although many men and women know this story, they may possibly not even aware that Andr? Philippe was head of the French side of this arrangement for the entire 75 years that the two ships worked. He lived to the ripe old age of 102, surviving the two Jacob's wine organization ships by a full six years.

As an aside, in 1981 a 104-year-old bottle of Jacobs red wine fetched ?4.2 million at auction. This would be about ?12 million right now or $18 million. It's unlikely that the wine was even drinkable after that time, it was not a particularly long lasting vintage. It is thought that the value was inside the rarity and maybe even the original Jacob's label on the bottle.

As a history lesson, or even an object lesson in determination, Marc Jacobs story stands out. And he is rightly remembered for his well-known wine organization.