wineauction

Naples Winter Wine Festival Announces 2009 Auction Lots

One of the top luxury events each winter is the Naples Winter Wine Festival in Naples, Florida. The auction and gala weekend is scheduled for February 6-8, 2009 and as usual it offers a a mix of once-in-a-lifetime experiences and one-of-a-kind treasures, with all proceeds benefiting underprivileged and at-risk children through the Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF), the festival's founding organization. As befits a wine auction, the majority of the 65 lots feature rare wine, including many large bottles such as a 27-liter bottle from Revana Family Vineyards; five Magnums of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti; a never-before released Salmanazar, which holds a complete case of wine, from Colgin Cellars; and a single lot consisting of a hand-signed Magnum from each of the festival's 28 participating vintners. Wineries are also offering private tours of wien caves, vintner dinners and unique travel options.

Other lots include one that offers two tickets to the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards and entitles the winner to be drawn in as a character on The Simpsons TV show, one that includes a wild boar hunt in Tuscany another entitles the winner to the "ultimate house party" at Blackberry Farm with special guest and Grammy-award winning artist, Martina McBride. There are also jewelry lots from Cartier, Chopard and Bulgari, and one lot offers a shopping spree at Tiffany & Co. The car to be raffled off has not been announced yet but the website appears to indicate it might be a Lexus GS 450 Hybrid.

On the night before the auction, vintner dinners are hosted in the homes of 17 trustees and vintners and celebrity chefs including Emeril Lagasse, Jonathan Benno, Linton Hopkins, Bob Kinkead and Mary Ann Esposito. Festival ticket packages are $7,500 per couple; $20,000 for reserved seating at the same vintner dinner for two couples and tickets are limited to 550 guests.

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Tags: naples wine festival, NaplesWineFestival, wine, wine auction, WineAuction

Chicago Wine Auction To Be Held This Saturday

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions, Events

Chicago-based wine auction house Hart Davis Hart Wine Company has had some impressive sales lately (their sale of the Fox Cellar brought in an astounding $11,160,583 making it the fourth largest wine auction in history) and they aren't stopping anytime soon. This Saturday, November 1, Hart Davis Hart will hold an auction at Tru restaurant in Chicago. The auction will have 1,131 Lots worth an estimated $2.3-$3.4 million, the sale including wines from Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Pétrus, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Screaming Eagle, and over 100 lots from the cellar of Craig Williams, former winemaker of Joseph Phelps Vineyards. The Williams consignment includes large format offerings of Joseph Phelps Insignia, as well as Eisele and Backus Cabernet Sauvignon from Williams' cellar in Napa Valley.

Top lots include an imperial of 2000 Château Pétrus estimated at $40,000-$60,000 and a magnum of 1992 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon for $10,000-$15,000. The live auction starts at 9 am at Tru and lunch during the auction can be had for $75 per person. Those not in Chicago can bid via phone, fax, online absentee bid through the live bid option on the Hart Davis Hart Live website. The live bid technology lets you hear the auction in real time and bid accordingly. Almost as exciting as being there.

I was curious what impact today's economy has on the wine auction market so I chatted with Hart Davis Hart President and CEO Paul Hart. He described the overall mood as "optimistic but concerned." Certainly the September success of the Fox Cellar auction which exceeded the high end of the estimate by nearly $1 million was a positive sign that the wine auction market is still strong. While acknowledging that that economic outlook has slid since then he noted that the retail arm of his company has continued to see strong sales. He believe that "wine is resilient," and his company has weathered bad markets before. Also the huge rises in wine auction prices over the past few years were likely to hit a stabilizing patch outside of any overall economic gloom.

What do people buy in a down market? As Hart put it, "the money always flows to the blue chips" and so there will continue to be interest in first growth Bordeaux and the top Napa wines. But wine auctions are also about the passion of the collector and while people buy with their wallets they also buy with their hearts. He reported that there is increased interest in some of the Phelps offerings such as the Backus Cabernet Sauvignon simply because it is hard to find and people want to try it. Wine, like art, can be a good investment but the old advice about the art market holds true for wine auctions, buy what you love.

UPDATE: The sale brought in $3,034,655 against a pre-sale auction estimate of $2,312,810 - 3,456,490. A live internet bidder came away with the largest invoice of the day and 99.29% of the lots were sold.

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Tags: chicago, hart davis hart wine, HartDavisHartWine, phelps, wine auction, WineAuction

Le Cirque To Sell Off Some Of The Wine Cellar

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions

If you have ever been to Manhattan's Le Circque you know that the wine collection, some of which is housed in a 27-foot steel-and-glass tower, is very impressive. Now it seems that the tower and the other displays in the restaurant aren't offering enough room. The owners plan to sell some of the fine wines. Christie's will hold a sale at the restaurant that will include cases of Bordeaux and other wines at the restaurant on Nov 17. Reuters reports that some cases could bring in as much as $20,000 which could provide a nice little nest egg at a time when people seem to be dining out less. A $395 per person dinner with matched wines will be offered during the auction.

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Tags: le cirque, LeCirque, manhattan, wine, wine auction, WineAuction

Sonoma Wine Country Weekend is Coming Soon...

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Events

Labor Day is almost upon us and as for me I am still firming up my plans. A college football game on television is at the top of my husband's list but not me. If I lived on the same coast as Sonoma County I would be at their event in a heartbeat! Ever tried to cover the wide array of wineries that make up Sonoma wine country? I haven't either but from what I hear it takes a lot more driving and time than most visitors can cover in a weekend. No problem because the Sonoma Wine Country Weekend will bring it all to you in a relatively small area -- no driving required once you arrive.

Tickets range from $50 to $650 depending on how long you can stay and your specific interests. There are Winemaker Dinners, the Grand Tasting, and even an Auction for those of you with deeper pockets. Enjoy wine from Alexander Valley to the Russian River Valley and everything in between. This is the inaugural year for this event and you don't want to miss it! Be there or be...me, with my little football party.

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Tags: grand tasting, GrandTasting, labor day weekend, labor day weekend event, LaborDayWeekend, LaborDayWeekendEvent, sonoma wine country weekend, Sonoma-California, SonomaWineCountryWeekend, wine auction, WineAuction, winemaker dinners, WinemakerDinners

Christie's Los Angeles Wine Events

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Wine, Events

Wine lovers in Los Angeles can experience a rare trio of treats this week courtesy of Christie's. Not only will there be a summer wine sale that includes the contents of the sale of a wealthy wine collector whose treasures include 1947 half bottles of Cheval Blanc, 1945 Palmer and a comprehensive Diamond Creek Vertical from 1972-2001 but there is also a special wine dinner at Spago. The sale is on June 24 in Beverly Hills and the Diamond Creek Dinner at Spago is on June 22. Tickets cost $350. For $75 you can attend a pre-sale tasting on June 23 that will feature a selection of wines donated by the wine sellers.

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Tags: cheval blanc, christie's, diamond creek, spago, wine, wine auction, WineAuction

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