Return of the tall ship merchant?

Well, for the romantic Sailors out there, this is an interesting economic vanity;

"We wanted to keep the energy that the producers had already put in the wine, and not break the chain. And, I'm telling you... this wine just tasted amazing."

On a warm summer's day in August, Danish wine merchant Sune Rosforth took delivery of 8,000 bottles of wine that had arrived from France.

From the offices of financial institutions flanking the quay, workers looked out at something that had not been seen in central Copenhagen for many years.

The ship that had brought the wine from the Breton port of Brest was a 32m-long brigantine, a twin-masted sailing ship, called the Tres Hombres. Mr Rosforth's company, Rosforth and Rosforth, supplies restaurants in Denmark with organic and biodynamic wines.

Sometimes though, economic vanity can also simply be meeting a different customer's market preferences; and they are willing to pay for it.

I will say this; I get it. I am a member and extra supporter of a local organic farm. I have my own garden and orchards. A lot of the pork and beef I ate this year, my family knew the animal by name. I also eat what I kill on my own land during hunting season, from animals fed in part by the foot plots I plant, and they live and grow well via the improvements in the land I have made over the years. So, I'm guilty of a little food vanity myself.

I could get the same raw calories at a much lower price by simply getting what I need from the frozen and canned goods bargain section at the Piggly-Wiggly … but I don’t.

If someone wants to enjoy wine that – in theory – has moved around without tons of refined fuel … why not.

In any event, the world could use a few more gainfully employed works of art – which tall ship are – moving about.

If you can earn a living doing it – more power to everyone involved. Think about it – who wouldn’t want to one day see the Cutty Sark underway under full sail again (with modern improvements that minimize manning requirements)?

But ... sadly, those beautiful lines are not the plan. FairTransport Ships has other designs.  Who knows. I wish them well.