Conservative ministers opened a more than 100-year-old bottle of cognac from the government wine cellar in the dying days of Rishi Sunak’s administration, the Foreign Office has said.
Also consumed were three bottles of 1931 quinta do noval port and four bottles of 1983 chateau margaux bordeaux.
The bottles were drunk at “a minister-led event to mark the centenary of the government wine cellar” just months before the Tories left office after 14 years, the government said.
The official collection – valued at £3.8m – is designed for use at events attended by world and business leaders.
It is supposed to be run in the “most cost-effective manner”.
The quinta do noval port is one of the older drinks in its collection and one that a previous report on the wine cellar said should be drunk “on very special occasions only”. It was opened as well as a bottle of 1922 hine cognac. The same bottle of cognac went for £1,500 when it was last auctioned.
The bottles were drunk at the centenary celebrations in December 2023, just five months before Mr Sunak called the general election that saw him ousted from office in a landslide victory for Labour.
Critics said the new Labour government should conduct a review of the wine cellar and whether it delivers value for money for taxpayers.
Founded in 1922 and located in the basement of Lancaster House in Westminster, the wine cellar includes an 1878 cognac and 1964 krug champagne in its collection.
It is managed by the government wine committee, which is chaired by a retired senior diplomat and consists of four qualified masters of wine.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “The size and prestige of the government’s wine cellar will smack taxpayers as an unnecessary luxury, given the state’s inability to deliver basic services.
“The new Labour government should conduct a review of the wine cellar and identify if it really delivers value for money for taxpayers.”
The information was revealed in parliamentary written answers.
The Foreign Office has been approached for comment.
