According to Sven Tornqvist, the Wine Lords were possessed of a "fascinating society". He once told Turlough that they had "the best kept cellars in the galaxy". Their wines were known "across the stars". The head of the society was known as the Kœnig of the Wine Lords.
Wine Lord society collapsed when they were put on trial for, in Tornqvist's words, "selling the '56 and claiming it was the '37". They lost the trial, were convicted of infanticide and subjected to prohibition. (PROSE: The Crystal Bucephalus)