wine auction

Napa Valley Wine Auction Sets New Record

Filed under: Wine

Another sign that people are back to spending on luxury goods was the record-breaking result at the 15th annual Napa Valley Vinters wine futures auction to the trade over the weekend. The event, which brought together a crowd of around 1,000 vintners, retailers, restaurateurs and others, brought in nearly $2.4 million, beating 2008's record-setting $2.2 million bidding on rare and highly desirable wine lots.

The event at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St Helena beat last year's take by more than 23%. A total of 68 successful bidders purchased 1530 cases at an average case price of $1546, a 37% increase over the recession-stressed take of 2009 and 20% more than 2010. A record was also set for a single lot. A Japanese wine company paid $125,000 for five cases of Scarecrow Wine, easily beating the record of $80,000 set in 2007. For wholesalers, retailers and restaurant owners the auction is a chance to buy wines from top wineries that are often hard to acquire. Other top lots of the day include Schrader Cellars, Ovid, Levy and McClellan, Shafer Vineyards, Robert Mondavi Winery and Reynolds Family.

[via Decanter]

Tags: napa valley, scarecrow wine, wine, wine auction

Andrew Lloyd Webber's Wine Collection Sells Strong In Hong Kong

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions

Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's wine collection achieved a strong result in a Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong on January 22. Part of Webber's cellar was sold in London by Sotheby's back in 1997 and took in $6.1 million. The current sale included lots of 10 cases of the first growths of the 2005 vintage, Petrus 2000, Cheval Blanc 1982, Domaine de la Romanee Conti La Tache, and Domaine Leflaive. Many of the older wines have been cellared at Sydmonton Court, his 16th century home in Berkshire, England Newer wines have been kept in professional storage.

The sale was estimated to bring in between $2.8 to $4.1 million but brought in 43.3 million Hong Kong dollars ($5.6 million), including the 21% buyer's premium. The Wall Street Journal reports that the six-hour auction, which took place at the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong, was filled to capacity. The top lot was a 1982 case of Château Pétrus (12 bottles) that went to an Asian buyer for $77,564. The WSJ article has a list of the top ten lots.

Tags: andrew lloyd webber, bordeaux, CHATEAU PETRUS, hong kong wine, hong kong wine auction, wine auction

Andrew Lloyd Webber Puts Wine Up For Sale In Hong Kong

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions

Many wine collectors are sending their collections to Asia to sell to take advantage of the growing appetite for French wine there. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber plans to sell off part of his cellar at a Sotheby's auction to take place in Hong Kong on January 22. "I am very happy that Sotheby's is bringing part of my precious wine collection to Hong Kong, particularly given that many wine connoisseurs are now in Asia," he said.

Part of Webber's cellar was sold in London by Sotheby's back in 1997 and took in $6.1 million. The current sale will include lots of 10 cases of the first growths on the 2005 vintage, Petrus 2000, Cheval Blanc 1982, Domaine de la Romanee Conti La Tache, and Domaine Leflaive. Many of the older wines have been cellared at Sydmonton Court, his 16th century home in Berkshire. Newer wines have been kept in professional storage. The sale is estimated to bring in between $2.8 to $4.1 million.

The Andrew Lloyd Webber wine collection represents the first half of a two-day sale that will also feature more wine from Henning Thoresen's Bordeaux Winebank 2000 Collection.

Tags: andrew lloyd webber, bordeaux, bordeaux wine, Bordeaux Winebank, Sothebys International Realty, Wii, wine auction

Large Bottle of Cheval Blanc Sets New Auction Record

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

A massive imperial-size bottle of Cheval Blanc 1947 has set a new world record for a single bottle sold at auction. The bottle (which hold the equivalent of eight standard sized bottles) was found in the secret cellar of a wine collector.

It sold for $304,580 on Tuesday at the fine wine auction at Christie's in Geneva. Just last month the record for the most expensive wine bottle had been set in Hong Kong when three bottles of Châteaux Lafite-Rothschild 1869 sold at a Hong Kong auction by Sotheby's for an astounding hammer price of $232,692 a bottle (the Lafite-Rothschild is still the champ if you are measuring price per milliliter).

[via IB Times]

Tags: bordeaux, cheval blanc, christies, imperial bottle, most expensive, most expensive wine, wine auction

Most Expensive Wine Sells At Auction In Hong Kong

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions

Over the past couple years we've seen wine auction prices in Hong Kong rise and rise. A new level was achieved this week when three bottles of Châteaux Lafite-Rothschild 1869 sold at a Hong Kong auction by Sotheby's for an astounding hammer price of $232,692 a bottle (a total of $698,076). That makes these the most expensive bottles of wine ever sold at auction. The entire sale of treasures direct from the legendary Chateau Lafite brought in a total of $8.4 million, tripling the pre-sale high estimate of $2.5 million. Every lot was sold, adding to the success of Sotheby's Hong Kong in maintaining the tenth consecutive 100%-sold wine auction in Asia in the last 18 months. It is only auction house to achieve this record.

The sale featured 284 lots of Lafite, as well as the other chateaux owned by Domaines Baron de Rothschild, all with direct-from-the-cellar perfect provenance. Before being shipped to Hong Kong, these bottles never left the cellars in which they were placed immediately after being made.

Baron Eric de Rothschild, owner of Chateau Lafite, said: "I am delighted that this unique auction brought Lafite to so many true connoisseurs and wine lovers. Our aim was to open our cellar doors to the friends of Chateau Lafite in Asia so that they could enjoy fabulous vintages in the best possible condition. We are very happy that Sotheby's took Lafite to new heights with this sale and we toast all those followers of Lafite who appreciate the passion with which we make it."

[via The Wealth Report]

Tags: chateau lafite, Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, hong kong wine auction, most expensive, most expensive wine, sothebys, wine auction

Sonoma Wine Country Weekend Bring Endless Summer To Sonoma

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions

This weekend brings wine and food fans to Sonoma for the Sonoma Wine Country Weekend running September 3-5, 2010. The centerpiece of the weekend is the famous Sonoma Valley Wine Auction on September 5 at Cline Cellars which features a variety of tempting auction lots. Some of this year's lots include the Francis Ford Coppola Live Lot which offers trips to Italy and Belize, a Coppola film library and signed wine bottles; the St. Francis Vineyard and Winery - Sex and the City package which offers a private dinner with an unnamed "Sex and the City" star at St. Francis Winery & Vineyards, a stay in San Francisco and five cases and four magnums of St. Francis wine; chef camp with tutorials from top Sonoma chefs; as well as plenty of wine lots including "Magnum Force" a collection of prized magnums from Sonoma County vintners.

This year's auction has a California beach party theme with the tagline "Endless Sonoma." In the spirit of the theme the growers and vintners will introduce the lots wearing surfer-style costumes. Hubert Keller of Fleur de Lys in San Francisco and winner of "Top Chef Masters" will team up with Kendall-Jackson executive chef Justin Wangler to present the first course of the auction's meal (an oxtail, fingerling potato and truffle 'cappuccino,') and other regional chefs will prepare the rest of the menu. The menu will include Sonoma-sourced specialties like curried Gravenstein apple miniature grilled cheese sandwiches; eggplant caponata; steak Florentine; pomegranate and herb grill lamb loin; artisan cheeses, breads and more.

A partnership between Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Foundation and Sonoma County Vintners, Sonoma Wine Country Weekend is the area's largest wine and food fundraiser, having jointly donated more than $10 million to local charities that support students, children, farm workers and people in need. Friday winemakers lunches are $85 a person, Friday specialty dinners are $175 and Friday winemaker dinners are $160. On Saturday, the Taste of Sonoma event is $150, the Grand Reserve tasting is $195, the Honorary Chair Dinner: St. Francis Winery is $175 and the Saturday winemaker dinners are $160 each. Tickets for the Sunday auction are $500, half of that is tax deductible.

[via PressDemocrat.com]

Tags: sonoma wine, sonoma wine auction, sonoma wine country weekend, wine auction, wine auctions

Naples Winter Wine Festival To Have "Perfect" Wine Auction Lot

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions, Charity

The Naples Winter Wine Festival isn't for another few months but one of the lots has already been announced. For those who have been chasing down 100-point wines, save room in your cellar. One of the auction lots at the elite wine festival to be held
will offer an unprecedented auction lot of 100 bottles of 100-point wines at its annual event January 28-30, 2011 in Naples, Florida. Decanter reports that wines in the 'Perfection Lot' include a 1955 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion, a 1989 Chateau Petrus, and a 1985 Domaine Romanee-Conti valued at more than $11,000. All of the wines were rated by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and other wine publications, including Wine Spectator. Auction proceeds go to help underprivileged and at-risk children, the Naples wine event has raised $82.5 million for local children's charities since 2001.

Tags: 100 point wines, naples florida, naples wine festival, naples winter wine festival, NaplesWinterWineFestival, wine auction

Shipwrecked Madiera To Be Sold At Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions

From the depths of the ocean to your wine cellar. Spectrum Wine Auctions, Southern California's leading auction house of fine and rare wine, will hold its first sale of the fall 2010 auction season on September 24 including a bottle of shipwrecked Madeira wine dating to the 1800s. The bottle, which is estimated at $1200 was discovered off of the Savannah, Georgia coast by professional diver Bill Kinsey in the late 1970s. The lot comes from a collector who bought the only two bottles from the shipwreck in 1980 at The Heublein Premiere National Auction of Rare Wines XII. He tasted the first one on television and noted that it was fantastic and in perfect condition. The thick mud on the ocean floor protected the bottles from worms and water.

The sale will take place at 6 p.m. PDT at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills and Saturday, September 25 at 9:00 a.m. HKT at the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong. Other highlights from the sale include some of the greatest vintages from producers in Bordeaux, Burgundy and California including 37 lots of Harlan Cabernet Sauvignon, 47 lots of Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon and several verticals of Chateau Montelena in magnum, three-liter and five-liter bottles. The total pre-sale estimate for the 761 lots on offer is $3.2 million.

Tags: madeira, shipwrecked wine, spectrum wine auction, wine auction

Mortons and Mondavis Collaborate On Nationwide Wine Event

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Wine, Events

Morton's The Steakhouse and the Mondavi family are planning a nationwide wine dinner and charity auction on October 7, 2010 at Charles Krug Winery's historic Carriage House in Napa Valley to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The gathering will be broadcast simultaneously to 54 Morton's private dining rooms via satellite.

The evening's hosts will include Michael Mondavi of Folio Fine Wine Partners, Tim Mondavi and Marcia Mondavi Borger of Continuum Estate, and Peter Mondavi, Sr., Peter Mondavi, Jr. and Marc Mondavi of Charles Krug Winery.

The event will kick off an online auction of the first-ever red wine produced by the extended Mondavi family, Siamo Insieme, which means "We are Together" in Italian. The Mondavi family has collaborated to produce a 27-liter bottle (called a primat); a unique blend of Napa Valley grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, produced and blended by the second and third generation of the Mondavi family especially for this event. This bottle will be auctioned online on Hart Davis Hart Wine Co.'s website October 7, 2010 through October 30, 2010, with 100 percent of the winning auction bid benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Tags: mondavi, mondavi wine, mortons, wine auction, wine dinner, wine dinners, wine events

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Auction Napa Valley Sees Strong Results

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions

Following a trend we saw with the Naples auction earlier this year, Auction Napa Valley was also back up, bringing in a total of $8.51 million. Last year's recession-dimmed sale brought in $5.7 million, a huge dip after 2008's $10.4 million haul. This was the annual event's 30th year and marked a return to the original format of a daytime auction rather than a more formal evening affair.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that one of the hottest items up for bid was a lot of eight magnums of wine plus a private dinner and cellar consultation from Ann Colgin and her husband, Joe Wender, of Colgin Cellars that sold for $250,000. Egged on by the auctioneers, Fritz Hatton and David Reynolds the two vintners quadrupled the lot selling all four slots for a $1 million total. The Fund a Need campaign raised more than $1 million for children's health and wellness programs in Napa County with donations small and large from many of the event's participants.

Tags: auction napa valley, wine auction

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Vinfolio Gets Big Bucks for Wine Collecting Play

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

It's a tough market for wine collectors. Disposable income is still at a premium, and there is already plenty of competition. There are plenty of brick-and-mortar and online stores catering to wine maniacs ... not to mention the likes of auction houses such as Sotheby's, which dominate the auction scene for liquid bliss. Nonetheless, Vinfolio, which has been around since 2003, found a way to reach into the pocket of former AOL top dog Steve Case (btw: Luxist is owned by AOL).

The amount Case plunked down for a piece of Vinfolio hasn't been disclosed, but it is known that he put $10 million into another luxury business, Exclusive Resorts. Whatever he's put into the business comes on top of $10 million already raised.

Does this mean the upscale wine market is coming back? The economic recovery may still be delicate, but this seems like a smart move for down the road. After all, money in a wine collector's pocket is always looking for a home.

Source

Tags: AOL, auction, auction-house, AuctionHouse, auctions, sotheby, sothebys, Steve Case, steve case revolution money, wine, wine auction, wine collection, wines

Napa Valley Auction, June 3-6

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions, Events

Auction Napa Valley celebrates its 30th anniversary June 3-6. Hosted by the Napa Valley Vintners, a non-profit trade organization representing nearly 400 Napa Valley wineries, this four-day gala is not only the world's most successful charity wine auction, it is also the most fun. Beginning with casual, intimate dinners with host vintners in their homes and wineries Thursday night, it ends Sunday with a "Farewell Fête." Friday is a day to meander through a food and wine festival at the Rubicon Estate where more than 100 wineries will be pouring wines. Local restaurateurs and artisan food producers will showcase their specialties. You will also have a chance to taste and bid on wines from the barrel in the rousing Barrel Auction inside the winery's caves.

Tags: auction napa valley, California wine, E-auction, Napa Valley, Napa Valley Vintners, staglin vineyards, wine auction

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Premiere Napa Valley Results Up

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions

Earlier this month I mentioned that the returns on the Naples Wine Auction were up by around $3 million. More good news in the wine auction world comes from Napa where the Premiere Napa Valley results were up by one third over last year. The 14th annual Premiere Napa Valley auction brought in a total of $1.918 million which was 30 percent more than the previous year. The 2009 auction brought in $1.485 million which was far down from 2008's record-setting total of $2.2455 million.

The 200-lot event took place last weekend and saw a more positive tone than last year's event with bidders snapping up cases of the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon. Five cases of Shafer went to Winebid.com for $37,000. Another five case allotment from Ovid went to Capitol Cellars for $33,000 and Lewis Cellars sold five cases to Nakagawa Trading Company of Japan for $30,000. Nakagawa Trading for the second-to-the-top bidder spending $179,000 total on wines. Top honors went to Gary Fisch of Gary's Wine in New Jersey who spent $392,000 on 275 cases.

Tags: napa valley, napa valley wine, NapaValley, NapaValleyWine, ovid, premiere napa valley, PremiereNapaValley, shafer, ShaferVineyards, wine auction, WineAuction

Naples Wine Auction Numbers Back Up

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions, Charity, Big Givers

Last year the results of the Naples Winter Wine Festival in Florida showed an economy where even the wealthiest patrons were slow to open their wallets. The results of this year's auction are a little more uplifting. The Naples News reports that the Naples Winter Wine Festival at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort at Tiburon in North Naples raised a preliminary total of $8.06 million for children's charities in Collier County. That's around $3 million more than last year's total and the overall mood appears to have been far brighter with reports of an energetic room and even a few bidding wars. It's not as high as the previous years when $14 and nearly $16 million results were seen but it is a step in the right direction.

Many lots sold for over six figures including a four-day trip to Manhattan for two couples with the best seats in the best restaurants, Yankee Stadium and live tapings of television shows which went for $170,000. A 14-night voyage aboard The World for two couples sold for $160,000. Two couples will be hosted by jewelry company Chopard at the Cannes Film festival in a lot that sold for $160,000. A ten-day South African odyssey for two couples through the country's premier wine regions and landscapes sold for $340,000. One woman paid $130,000 for a lot that is topped by a dinner with Robert Redford. A lot that featured a Michael Kors makeover and a trip to the Project Runway finale fetched $150,000.

And of course there were many large wine auction lots including a 2003 Chateau Lynch-Bages presented in a rare double magnum and two nights for two couples at Cordeillan-Bages in Pauillac, France that sold for $170,000. A lot of 30 wines from Burgundy sold for $100,000. And someone really likes the monster bottles, a lot that included four mammoth 9-liter Salmanazars, one each of 2005 Chateau Haut-Brion, 2005 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion and two 9-liter bottles of the 2009 vintage sold for $150,000.

Tags: naples wine festival, naples winter wine festival, NaplesWineFestival, NaplesWinterWineFestival, wine auction, wine auctions, WineAuction, WineAuctions

Bid On Napa Wine Fantasy Lots

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions, Charity

What's your wine fantasy? A lost weekend at a Napa Valley estate with a bunch of close friends? How about spending the day with one of Napa's most celebrated winemakers? These are just two of the lots being offered in advance of Forever Young, The Young School's eleventh annual benefit fundraiser,being held February 6 at Quintessa in Rutherford, California. The evening will include silent and live auctions but some lots are being offered ahead of time www.biddingforgood.com/auction/item/Browse.action

My favorite includes the chance to spend the day with vintner Ehren Jordan, winemaker both of French–style Pinot Noirs and Syrahs from Failla Wines and Zinfandels and Petit Syrahs from Turley Wine Cellars. His typical whirlwind day includes shuttling between Turley and Failla, a commute done via the cockpit of his Cessna 340. You can sit in the co-pilot's seat and get a winemaker's-eye-view of the vineyards, then land and take a walk through the rows. The experience includes a blending session, which will create five cases and one magnum of your own unique wine. This lot has an opening bid of $5,000.

Another lot is called the Bottle Shock Experience and whisks nine couples away for three nights (1/28/2010- 1/31/2010) at a Napa Valley estate where the grounds include a spa, pool, bocce court, gym and more. They stay is highlighted by a private screening at the estate's high-definition theater of the movie Bottle Shock with the movie's producers Marc & Brenda Lhormer, followed by a "Judgment of Paris"-style tasting of California Chardonnays and Cabernets 'versus' French Burgundies and Bordeaux, similar to the one in the film. Bidding starts at $9,000 for this lot.

Tags: napa valley, NapaValley, the young school, TheYoungSchool, wine, wine auction, WineAuction