Oenophiles create their wine collections with exquisite burgundies, whites and rosés. Among them are usually fine wine bottles that made news for fetching high prices at auctions as well. But building such a collection requires great dedication and passion, as the most expensive wine collections come with a legacy of their own that makes them worth millions of dollars.
In September 2023, Taiwanese billionaire Pierre Chen grabbed attention when he announced his plans to auction his rare wine collection. The 10th richest person in the country, Chen, whose net worth stands at around USD 5.5 billion according to Forbes (as of 3 November 2023), has amassed a stunning and valuable wine collection over four decades.
So much so that now a part of it is going under the hammer at Sotheby’s. The auction house will be hosting five sales, aptly named The Epicurean’s Atlas, across the globe to sell 25,000 of his expensive wine bottles. Starting with Hong Kong on 24 and 25 November 2023, the auctions will continue throughout 2024 in Paris, Beaune and New York, winding up in Hong Kong.
One of the illustrious names on the world’s finest wine cellar lists, Chen’s collection abounds in rare and mythical vintage bottles. Red burgundies, which are rare vintages from France’s revered La Tâche vineyard, are one of the stars of the lot. It includes two methuselahs (6-litre bottles) from 1985, valued between USD 120,000 and USD 190,000 — each a scene stealer. Another such methuselah from 1999 is expected to amass USD 100,000 to USD 130,000.
From Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC) to Château Pétru and many more, rare wines are predicted to clock in a staggering USD 50 million over the upcoming auction series spanning various cities.
With wine auctions becoming more prominent, wine enthusiasts are heading to such high-end auctions to gather the most splendid bottles for their cellars.
A look at some of the world’s most expensive wine collections
Alex Ferguson’s wine collection
Sold for: USD 5 million
Alex Ferguson, the former manager of the English football club Manchester United, was not only known for his inspiring managerial skills but also for maintaining a massive and expensive wine collection. Collected throughout his career, his wine list features DRC Burgundies and first-growth Bordeaux ranging from the 1986 to 2011 vintages.
In 2014, 5,000 bottles from his cellar went under the hammer by Christie’s over three auction sales. The 24 May Hong Kong event garnered over USD 3.7 million. According to USA Today, the most expensive bottle was a bottle of DRC Romanee-Conti, which fetched USD 158,000.
This was followed by an auction in London on 5 June 2014, which garnered about USD 1.3 million. The rest was sold at another online-only auction, between 9 and 23 June.
Joseph Lau’s wine collection
Sold for: USD 6.8 million
Hong Kong-based billionaire Joseph Lau is among the world’s top-tier wine collectors, and his cellar of fine wines has earned Sotheby’s rare ‘white glove’ sales (100 per cent sale) when a coveted lot went under the hammer in 2021.
“The white-glove sale of wines from the cellar of Hong Kong billionaire Joseph Lau doubled the pre-sale estimate, and Sotheby’s three-day sales series of wines and spirits ended with an outstanding total of HK$119.5 million/US$15.4 million,” states the auction house.
The sale of his collection, dubbed Wines From The Cellar of Joseph Lau Part II, earned USD 6.8 million. It comprised 148 lots, and top sales were achieved through nine 1990 bottles, which earned a whopping USD 450,590.
The 2021 auction continued the successful streak of the sale of the first auction in 2020, which also saw a ‘white glove’ sale and amassed over USD 3.3 million.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s wine collection
Sold for: USD 6.9 million
On the list of some of the most expensive wine collections is the wine cellar of musician, composer and theatre personality Andrew Lloyd Webber. Known as the creator of hit musicals like Phantom Of The Opera and Cats, Webber boasts an impressive wine list that has scored some big bills.
In 1997, 18,000 of his wine bottles fetched GBP 5 million (about USD 6.9 million) at a Sotheby’s auction. According to The New York Times, the auction house dubbed it “the greatest single wine collection ever to appear at auction” and estimated to bring in USD 3.2 million. Bottles of Chateau d’Yquem 1900 and Chateau Cheval Blanc 1947 were part of the magnificent collection.
In 2011, his collection yet again saw mammoth sales, garnering GBP 3.5 million (USD 5.6 million) at a Sotheby’s Hong Kong auction. It comprised 746 lots, with the most expensive wine being a Chateau Petrus 1982, whose 12 bottles bagged USD 77,564, states BBC.
Robert Drouhin’s wine collection
Sold for: USD 7.3 million
DRC bottles are a prized asset for every wine collector, and when the bottles are 1945 vintage, they elevate a wine collection manifold.
Hence, when Sotheby’s sold two such stunning red wine bottles in New York in 2018, it made headlines. The bottles belonged to the wine collection of Robert Drouhin from the acclaimed Burgundy winery, Maison Joseph Drouhin. While one of them fetched USD 558,000, the other got USD 496,000, amounting to USD 1.05 million on their own.
The 100-lot auction featured other vintages from different wine regions and vineyards, such as Petrus, Chateau Latour and Chateau Lafite. It garnered a total of USD 7.3 million, and nine of them earned six-figure sums, according to Quartz.
A Lifestyle Asia report stated, “Sotheby’s wine and spirits arm also bested itself with sales totalling more than USD 100 million for the first time, a significant bulk of which can be attributed to the complete sales of Drouhin’s collection of old and rare Domaine de la Romanée-Conti vintages.”
William Koch’s wine collection
Sold for: Approximately USD 22 million
American billionaire businessman and political activist William Koch is one of the top wine collectors with an enviable display of some of the best vintages. When Sotheby’s sold portions of his cellar, the sale exhibited a stellar wine list with some of the greatest wines going into seven figures.
Comprising over 2,700 lots and 20,000 bottles, the auction was estimated to bring in USD 15 million, reports CNBC. It mentioned a few star items — while a single Jeroboam (3-litre bottle) of 1959 DRC is estimated between USD 30,000 and USD 42,000, a methuselah of Romanee-Conti 1989 DRC is probably valued at USD 70,000 to USD 100,000.
However, surpassing these figures, the consignment fetched a whopping USD 21.9 million. According to WineSpectator, “The sale total was one of the highest ever achieved by a wine auction.”
Anonymous: Wine collection of 17,000 bottles
Sold for: Approximately USD 22 million
In March 2019, Sotheby’s created another milestone when it sold a collection of 16,889 expensive wines at the Tran-scend-ent Wines auction in Hong Kong. The valuable collection belonged to a private wine enthusiast who remains unnamed and consisted of a range of fine wines such as Grand Cru Burgundies and first-growth Bordeaux.
The collection was sold over a three-day auction featuring 275 lots of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti spanning over 50 years. Luxury Bordeaux wines included La Mission Haut-Brion 1945 and Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1961. According to the South China Morning Post, the top lot had 12 bottles of the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti 1990, which pooled in USD 348,000.
Such was the success of the sale that it beat the previous record held by the sale of William Koch’s collection by nearly USD 8 million and surpassed estimates by almost USD 4 million.
Henri Jayer’s wine collection
Sold for: Approximately USD 34.5 million
The June 2018 Geneva auction hosted by Baghera Wines saw an astounding collection as legendary vintner Henri Jayer’s vintage bottles went under the hammer. Collecting over USD 34.5 million, the 215-lot wine list made “the largest total ever achieved by a single wine auction,” states WineSpectator.
Top lots were occupied by Burgundy gems Vosne-Romanée from Cros Parantoux. “Lot 88, a magnum of Cros Parantoux 1978, reputedly Jayer’s best vintage, sold for $144,893, more than three times the high estimate of USD 40,248,” reported the publication.
Decanter stated, “Baghera, which pitched the event as the last ex-cellar auction from the late Henri Jayer’s personal collection, had set a pre-sale high estimate of CHF13 million” (over USD 15 million).
Over 1,000 wines were up for auction at the event and included “855 75cl bottles and 209 magnums, divided into 215 lots. Vintages ranged from 1970 to 2001,” stated Decanter. What adds to their value is that they have been a part of Jayer’s wine cellar since bottling and carried authentic provenance.
(Main and featured images: Sotheby’s)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– What was the most expensive wine ever made?
Domaine de la Romanée – Conti 1945 is the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold. It fetched a price of USD 558,000 at a Sotheby’s New York auction.
– What is the most expensive collectable wine?
Domaine de la Romanée – Conti 1945 is the most expensive collectable wine to be auctioned. Sotheby’s sold it for USD 558,000.
– Who has the biggest wine collection in the world?
Moldovan wine producer Milestii Mici is considered to have one of the world’s largest wine collections. With over 2,000,000 bottles, the Guinness World Record-holding cellar stretches for over 250 km and has an unfathomable collection of reputed names. Hotel De Paris and Bern’s Steakhouse also boast large collections with extremely long cellars.
– What are wine collectors called?
While wine lovers are called oenophiles and traders are called vintners, wine collectors usually go by aficionados or simply wine collectors.