A Dutch wine maker has insured his nose for €5m to cover against any incident that could threaten his livelihood.
Ilja Gort, the owner of Chateau de La Garde in Bordeaux and producer of Tulipe Wines, based in Bordeaux, says the nose, which can distinguish millions of different scents, is the most important asset in his profession with a good sense of smell deemed essential to guarantee the constant quality of his wines. In comparison, the tongue – which many wine tasters choose to insure – has only five areas of taste.
Jonathan Thomas, Lead Underwriter at Watkins Syndicate, who co-insured the policy with Allianz Nederland, said: “This certainly is an insurance policy not to be sniffed at. The nose and sense of smell of a winemaker are as important as the fingers of a chef.
“We insure the tongues of wine tasters for supermarkets and wine merchants. But Mr Gort has recognised that although his sense of taste is crucial, it is actually his nose that is more important.
“Lloyd’s is the pre-eminent place in the world for the insurance of people, whether it is individual body parts or dealing with particular facial characteristics that are necessary for people to pursue their occupations.”
And nose insurance is not just restricted to wine buffs. It is a common purchase for a range of occupations, and Watkins Syndicates is currently working on a policy with a US perfume consultant who develops new fragrances for perfume houses.
Thomas explains: “You have a limited number of people who need to insure their nose to [Gort’s] extent. But few people realise just how important their nose is to their job. Look at the wine, perfume and food trades – a loss of sense of smell has a huge effect on their roles.
“The most famous nose to insure was that belonging to [sherry maker] Jose Ignacios Domecq. Not only did he have a very distinct sense of smell for sherry, he also had a very distinct nose. Mr Gort is following in a fine tradition.”
In fact Domecq was known as El Nariz, ‘the Nose’. He earned this name for literal as well as figurative reasons – his hawk-like nose was memorably large.
“The other big nose insured in the sense of importance of earning potential was nothing to do with smell, but instead appearance. Snozzle Durantee, the actor who appeared in 'Man Who Came to Dinner', was infamous for having a rather large hooter,” Thomas adds.
Watch an interview with Jonathan Thomas on BBC News 24 (19MB)
Listen to an interview with Jonathan Thomas on BBC Radio 2 (2MB)
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