Just in case there is one of these bottles hidden in the depths of your cellar somewhere, here are a few of the world’s most expensive bottles of wine …
1992 Screaming Eagle
$ 80,000
At auction in ‘Napa Valley 2008’, a charity event, a lot of six magnums of Screaming Eagle were sold for $500,000. In addition to the wine, the lot included a dinner at the winery – what a lucky buyer….
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1945 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild Jeroboam
$114,614
This bottle comes from what is considered by wine enthusiasts to be one of the finest vintages of the 20th century
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1811 Chateau d’Yquem
$117,000
White wines expire faster than red wines and other alcoholic beverages, but with the 1811 Chateau d’Yguem is different. This wine contains high amounts of residual sugar, making it last for centuries. Its content is composed of Semillon (80%) and Sauvignon Blanc (20%), which helped the wine to age well and keep from spoiling.
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Chateau Lafitte
1787 Chateau Lafite
$160,000
A bottle of 1787 Chateau Lafite which sold at Christi’s London in December of 1985, this wine was originally reported to be from the cellar of Thomas Jefferson, the former US President, and this most expensive bottle of wine had the initials Th.J etched into the glass bottle. It made its way into the hands of American tycoon Bill Koch, who became suspicious of the origins of the four bottles he had purchased. Eventually, he instigated the investigation that debunked the supposed origin of what was, at the time of purchase, the most expensive wine in the world
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Shipwrecked 1907 Heidsieck
$275,000
These more than 100 year old bottles of Champagne from the Heidsieck vineyard in Champagne took over eighty years to reach their destination. Shipped to the Russian Imperial family in 1916, a shipwreck off the coast of Finland caused this champagne to be lost at sea until divers discovered over 200 bottles in 1997. Of course, the wine’s extraordinary tale and incredible age are what makes it the world’s most expensive wine
There is far too much snobbery associated with wine. For an excellent post with ten wine tips visit the blog of well-known Australia wine expert Huon Hooke – Hooked on Wine.
About the author
Karl Faux is a veteran Hotelier and Managing Partner with Elite Search – a leading hospitality recruitment firm.
For more information about Karl and Elite Search visit http://www.elitesearch.com.au and The Elite Hotelier http://www.elitehotelier.net