good wine needs no bush
Preserved but no longer current.
A good article will make itself known without being puffed. An ivy-bush (anciently sacred to Bacchus) was once the common sign of taverns, and especi- ally of private houses where beer or wine could be obtained by travellers.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “good wine needs no bush” mean?
A good article will make itself known without being puffed. An ivy-bush (anciently sacred to Bacchus) was once the common sign of taverns, and especi- ally of private houses where beer or wine could be obtained by travellers.
Is “good wine needs no bush” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.