Recent months have seen major auction houses increase their online sales across every department and, in particular, Wine and Spirits. Interest in collecting wine and spirits has seen a distinct rise across international markets in Asia, North America, the Middle East and Europe.
The success of the digital sale room for wine and spirits was seen at the Christie’s New York online only auction held between 24th March and 7th April this year. The sale offered one of the most comprehensive selections of California’s finest wines, amongst other international rarities, and achieved sales of USD 1,116,075.
Sotheby’s ‘Distilled’ online spirits auction held in London during May, provided further evidence in the growth in this specialist collectors’ market. The auction house reported bids from 25 countries and that almost half the buyers were new to Sotheby’s. It also attracted a younger audience, with 42 per cent of bidders being under 40 years old.
Distilled achieved total sales of £1.5 million and set a new auction record for a bottle of Cognac, when a bottle of Gautier Cognac 1762 sold for £118,580. Only three bottles of this exceedingly rare Cognac remain to this day, having been held in the same family for generations with their original labels attached. This was the largest of these remaining bottles, known as “Grand Frère”.
A new record was also set for any bottle of whisky produced by the Dalmore Distillery. Two bottles of The Dalmore 62 Year Old sold for £266,200 each, to separate private collectors. “The Mackenzie” and “The Cromarty” exceeded their estimated price of £75,000 per bottle.
For wine and spirits collectors wanting to expand their cellar, there are a number of live and online auction opportunities to look out for this summer including:
- 12th July 2020: Christies Finest and Rarest Wines and Spirits, Alexandra House, Hong Kong
- 16th July 2020: Bonhams Fine and Rare Wines, New Bond Street, London.
For advice on how to successfully participate in online auctions for wines and spirits, visit Decanter magazine.
Photo: CHÂTEAU MARGAUX 2000, MARGAUX 1ER GRAND CRU CLASSÉ (12) Sold for £ 7,320 Fine and Rare Wines 27 Feb 2020, Bonhams