Chapter 30: Holiday Estate

The intention of Hunter, the butler, was quite simple. After all, the annual expenses of the red wine estate were only around 100,000 pounds, which was a drop in the bucket for Arthur, whose fortune had already reached billions.

Even if the red wine produced by the estate in recent years could not dominate the European market, it could still barely survive by relying on the Australian market.

Especially in the current chaotic situation in Europe, once wars broke out among European countries or unexpected situations occurred, leading to a decrease in wine production in Europe, it would be Arthur's estate that seized the market.

At the very least, by producing low-end red wine, they could occupy the markets in Australia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia, and achieve the goal of profitability.

After all, Europe is currently the most brilliant jewel in the world, and Westernized things are very popular among people from other regions, not to mention wine that is highly sought after by European nobles.

This is the mentality of ordinary people, thinking that foreign things are always better than domestic ones.

"Well," Arthur nodded, agreeing with Hunter's point of view.

"Your Highness, our estate includes a square, exhibition hall, winery, vineyard, storage area, and underground wine cellar, and the expected maximum output can reach over 4,400 tons per year. Based on the capacity of the barrel, we can produce more than 39,000 barrels of wine each year. If it is packaged in bottles, we can produce over six million bottles," Hunter smiled and explained to Arthur.

I have a question. As the Duke established a duchy under a monarch of a country, shouldn't he be called a grand duke, and those beneath him should address him as "Your Majesty" instead of "Your Highness"? It feels weird to address him as "Your Highness". Can you provide some knowledge about European noble titles?

If we look at the sales of bottled wine, the profit is even greater. Most bottled wines are marketed as high-end, so the price is higher than the same amount of wine sold in barrels.

Generally speaking, a barrel of wine can be sold for ten pounds, but if it is split into hundreds of bottles of 750 milliliters, each bottle can be sold for more than three shillings, and the price of wine with the same capacity has more than doubled.

At present, the maximum production capacity of the winery can fully meet Australia's consumption, and at least before the per capita annual income in Australia sees significant growth, Arthur's winery can stockpile a large amount of red wine every year.

"Uncle Hunter, when can we drink the wine?" Patricia couldn't wait to ask.

Hunter, the butler, looked at Patricia and Margaret's eager faces and smiled, "The grapes won't be ripe until August, and then with the time it takes to make wine, I'm afraid the two young ladies will have to wait until the end of September to drink our new winery's wine."

Hearing Hunter's words, Patricia and Margaret couldn't help but feel disappointed and dissatisfied with the wait.

"Well, don't we have a lot of red wine brought from England? Those wines are enough for you to hold on until October." Princess Louise looked at her two daughters unkindly and said with a smile.

In fact, Patricia and Margaret weren't really eager to drink the new wine, they were just curious about it.

The red wine Arthur brought back from England was high-end wine produced at Duke Arthur's winery, with a total of about one thousand bottles.

In addition, the royal family, except for Arthur, only consisted of Princess Louise and her two sisters, so the consumption of wine was actually very small. Even after drinking for several months, there were still over nine hundred bottles left.

"Oh!" Seeing her mother starting to lecture them, Margaret and Patricia quickly hid behind Arthur and reluctantly replied.

"Let's go, let's visit the winery." Arthur timely rescued his two sisters and said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Margaret and Patricia quickly returned to their mother's side and began to tour the entire estate.

It has to be said that the geographical environment of the entire winery is very superior, with a mountain behind the winery and a clear river in front of it. The river flows through the square in front of the winery, and the river is clear and occasionally you can see groups of fish swimming by.

Such a superior geographical environment, not to mention building a winery, is suitable for building a holiday estate.

Although it was already summer, the cool breeze and the sound of a small stream made Arthur reluctant to leave.

"Your Highness, I have built a small estate within the vineyard, near our fruit orchard and overlooking the stream. Although it's summer, the governmental building is hot and stuffy. I suggest you stay in the estate for a while to avoid the heat, and also to keep the young princes entertained," suggested Butler Hunter.

During the selection of the vineyard's location, Butler Hunter noticed this highly favorable geographical environment. With mountains at the back and water in front, it was a perfect address for a vacation estate.

Thus, Butler Hunter took the initiative to plan the best piece of land within the vineyard and built a small estate for Arthur and the royal family.

Although the estate's area was not large, its geographical location and natural environment were excellent, making it a perfect place to escape the summer heat.

Seeing that both of his sisters were interested, Arthur smiled and said, "Has the estate been completed?"

"Of course, Your Highness," replied Butler Hunter. "The estate was built together with the vineyard and is now complete. All that's left is to move in the furniture."

"Let's go take a look," Arthur said with interest.

In various monarchies throughout Europe, the royal families have their private estates, and some of the more powerful monarchies even have multiple estates, ten or more.

These estates are used as temporary residences for the royal family when the palace is not comfortable, for tourism and relaxation.

Taking the British royal family as an example, Queen Victoria had countless estates, including Balmoral Castle, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Holkham Palace, Clarence House, Kensington Palace, St. James's Palace, Hampton Court Palace, Sandringham Estate, and other luxurious estates. It was even difficult to choose a holiday destination every year.

However, the Australian royal family only has the National Government House as their residence until now, which is considered meager and opportunistic. This is why Butler Hunter, as the royal steward, built an estate here.