{"id":38259,"date":"2021-06-18T11:55:10","date_gmt":"2021-06-18T09:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wfi-global-staging.com\/topwineold\/?p=38259"},"modified":"2021-07-10T10:38:23","modified_gmt":"2021-07-10T08:38:23","slug":"wondering-about-the-most-expensive-wines-what-the-world-records-are","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wfi-global-staging.com\/topwineold\/2021\/06\/wondering-about-the-most-expensive-wines-what-the-world-records-are\/","title":{"rendered":"Wondering about the most expensive wines? What the world records are?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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WHEN DISTELL submitted a little bottle of 200-year-old Grand Constance dessert wine for sale on the 2021 Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction<\/strong><\/span><\/a> it was estimated to fetch R80 000 to R130 000. After all, once destined for delivery to Napoleon and until recently secured in the Stellenbosch company's ‘Tabernacle', the Constantia museum piece has one hellava backstory. That it eventually went to a UK-based Christie's client for the sum of R420 000 is all the more impressive when seen in context\u2026 The price doesn't include VAT or commissions, and the bottle size is 375ml \u2013 the eventual cost of a standard 750ml measure considerably more than R840K. A South African record, surely! But a world record?<\/p>\n

By and large, the highest prices paid for South Africa's luxury<\/strong><\/span><\/a> wines on release have a way to climb to rival the wines of France, even outside the auction arena. The top asking prices among current vintages available from the Cape winelands at last glance included R4000 a bottle for the Laurence Graff Reserve, R4400 for Tokara Telos (also Cabernet Sauvignon, also Helshoogte in Stellenbosch), R5000 for ‘the.' Cabernet Franc from Elgin Ridge, and\/but over R7K for a bottle of the red blend ‘G' from 4G Wines in Cape Town (head office in Switzerland). In comparison, on release, Bordeaux First Growths sell for \u00a3300 to \u00a3500 (R6K to R10K) per bottle, versus Grand Cru Burgundy at more than double that.<\/p>\n

The top wine prices achieved by the Bonhams<\/strong><\/span><\/a> auction house of London spotlight one red Burgundy in particular, i.e. Pinot Noir, 750ml bottles:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Roman\u00e9e-Conti 1999<\/strong>: \u00a3107 550 for six bottles in 2018, i.e. \u00a317 925 per bottle (R358K)
\n\u2022 Roman\u00e9e-Conti 1988<\/strong>: \u00a3179 250 for 12 bottles in 2018, i.e. \u00a314 937 per bottle (R298K)<\/p>\n

A couple of the top lots auctioned at Christie's<\/strong><\/span><\/a> take things a step further:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Roman\u00e9e-Conti 1988<\/strong>: \u00a3288 000 for 12 bottles in 2018, i.e. \u00a324 000 per bottle (R480K), sold in London
\n\u2022 Roman\u00e9e-Conti 1978<\/strong>: \u00a3294 260 for 12 bottles in 2013, i.e. \u00a324 522 per bottle (R490K), sold in Hong Kong<\/p>\n

And woaah! According to the Guinness<\/strong><\/span><\/a> World Records as of June 2021:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Roman\u00e9e-Conti 1945 <\/strong>was the most expensive wine sold at auction: $558 000 (R7.8m) paid for a bottle of this red Burgundy, auctioned by Sotheby's in New York in 2018, selling for more than 17 times Robert Drouhin's original asking price \u2013 it was suspected that the buyer was based in China.
\n\u2022 Cheval-Blanc 1947 <\/strong>sold at \u00a3192 000 (R3.8m) for an Imperial\/Methuselah bottle (equivalent to eight standard\/750ml bottles) sold on auction to a private collector at Christie's in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2010. That's \u00a324 000 (R480K) per 750ml of this Cabernet Franc-led blend from Bordeaux.
\n\u2022 Chateau d'Yquem 1811 <\/strong>sold for \u00a375 000 (R1.5m) by The Antique Wine Company of London to the SIP Wine Bar in Bali \u2013 the single, standard-size bottle of dessert wine made from Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc in Sauternes, France, changed hands in 2011 after a private sale, not on auction.<\/p>\n

Back to South Africa, 2021… In some ways, what was previously the Nederburg Auction, the Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction is still a showcase for what was once the great Stellenbosch Farmers' Winery before merging with Distillers in 2000 to become Distell. That said, the following are the top prices fetched per bottle at CFRWA \/ Nederburg Auctions over the years which still stand as records at this annual sale:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Jaubert Muscat d'Alexandrie ‘1800' <\/strong>(NV): R42 500 paid for a 275ml bottle in 2015, equivalent to R127 500 per 750ml, the highest price paid for SA fortified wine at this auction (Klein Karoo producer)
\n\u2022 Meerlust Bordeaux Blend 1978<\/strong>: R16 000 paid per 750ml bottle in 2017, the highest price paid for SA red wine at this auction (Stellenbosch producer)
\n\u2022 Nederburg Edekeur 1979<\/strong>: R2417 paid for a 375ml bottle in 2014, equivalent of R4833 per 750ml, the highest price paid for SA Noble Late Harvest or for SA unfortified dessert wine overall at this auction (Paarl producer)<\/p>\n

More impressive in some respects though are the top prices fetched for South African reds and whites at the Strauss<\/strong><\/span><\/a> & Co Fine Wine Auctions conducted in collaboration with merchants Wine Cellar and sommelier Higgo Jacobs numerous times a year since 2019 \u2013 prices inclusive of VAT and commissions:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Jaubert Muscat d'Alexandrie ‘1800' <\/strong>(NV): R51 210 paid for a 275ml bottle in 2019, equivalent to R139 664 per 750ml, the highest price ever paid for SA fortified wine, this one made using a solera method by Joubert-Tradauw outside the town of Barrydale \u2013 non-vintage, with 1800 referring to the first year it was made.
\n\u2022 Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 1986<\/strong>: R34 140 paid for a 500ml bottle in 2019, equivalent to R51 210 per 750ml, the highest price ever paid for SA Natural Sweet or for SA unfortified dessert wine overall, this one from the first producer endeavouring to emulate the Grand Constance that the rich and famous of Europe so enjoyed back in the day.
\n\u2022 GS Cabernet 1966<\/strong>: R34 140 paid for a 750ml bottle in 2019, the highest price ever paid for SA red wine, the George Spies a rather mysterious bottling from Paarl, supposedly using grapes from Durbanville \u2013 the ‘runners-up' a bottle of Chateau Libertas 1957 and a bottle of Meerlust Rubicon 2001, with each fetching R17 588 in 2021 and 2020 respectively.
\n\u2022 Sadie Mev Kirsten 2017<\/strong>: R18 760 paid for 3\u00d7750ml bottles of this Stellenbosch Chenin (Swartland cellar) in 2020, equivalent to R6253 per 750ml, the highest price ever paid for SA white wine, this one involving arguably the country's most highly-regarded winemaker over the past 20 years.<\/p>\n

P.S. In early 2020, Cape Town merchant Roland Peens of Wine Cellar<\/strong><\/span><\/a> came across what is thought to be the most expensive bottle of South African wine to date, an 1835 vintage of Constantia Wyn<\/strong><\/span><\/a> on offer from a French retailer at \u20ac89 000 (R1.4m). Still on sale, as far as we know…<\/em><\/p>\n

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WHEN DISTELL submitted a little bottle of 200-year-old Grand Constance dessert wine for sale on the 2021 Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction it was estimated to fetch R80 000 to R130 000. After all, once destined for delivery to Napoleon and until recently secured in the Stellenbosch company’s ‘Tabernacle’, the Constantia museum piece has one hellava backstory. That it<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3627,3299,2039],"tags":[3628,1586,3683,1208,3682,3167,3684,989,3681,1489,2540,2956,849,3685,1044,3191,1091],"class_list":["post-38259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-3627","category-auctions","category-events","tag-3628","tag-auction","tag-bonham","tag-cape","tag-christie","tag-fine","tag-guinness","tag-nederburg","tag-old","tag-price","tag-rare","tag-record","tag-sa","tag-sotheby","tag-south-africa","tag-strauss","tag-top-wine"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t