Often when I talk about wine auctions I tend to just focus on the top of the sale, what's going for the truly astronomical sums. The real finds however, are often buried a bit further down the lot list. Take for example an auction coming up on Saturday, December 9 in New York at Sotheby's. This auction, "An Important New England Cellar" offers the usual suspects such as the Chateau Petrus and multiple fabulous vintages of Domaine De La Romanee-Conti but as Serena Sutcliffe points out in the auction catalog it is also a treasure trove of Ports and other wines to serve at the end of a meal.

The sellers, according to the catalog, are putting part of their cellar on the block to make room for more wines. Among the treats they are giving up are Ports from producers including Graham, Fonseca, Taylor and Dow spanning from the 1960s through the 1980s including several lots featuring the prized 1977 vintage. A lot of 12 bottles of the Fonseca 1977 is estimated to sell for $1,400 to $1,800.