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Search For The Costliest Wines Ever Sold
Rare
and valuable wines could be called the cornerstone of the wine
collecting hobby. The modern wine collector thrives on buying
a fine wine on line, then storing and aging it to perfection.
Any hobbyist would love to sample that 2000 Chateau Petrus Pomerol
they’ve read about, but at upwards of $4000, most can only
dream. It can be found easily online, even if a bottle of the
current vintage is over $1000!
Have
you ever wondered what the most expensive wine ever cost? The
Guiness Book Of World Records gives this honor to a bottle of
1787 Chateau Lafite, said to have been owned by none other than
Thomas Jefferson. This historical find was sold to Charles Forbes
for the princely sum of about $160,000 during a Christie’s
London wine auction. It’s remarkable that Jefferson supposedly
also owned by white wine ever sold. A 1787 Chateau d’Yquem
fetched $56,588 at another Christie’s auction.
Of
course, there are other claims to the throne. Another of Jefferson’s
bottles, a 1787 Chateau Margaux was once offered for $500,000.
Unfortunately, while the bottle was being shown at a dinner party
one night, a waiter knocked it over and broke it! Luckily the
seller thought ahead, and the insurance company was forced to
cough up $225,000.
None
of these wines are actually palatable anymore, but there are consumable,
super-valuable wines. In 1916, the Russian Imperial Family was
sent a shipment of 1907 Heidsieck champagne. Along the way, the
ship was damaged and sunk. In 1997, while looking for the ship,
divers found 200 bottles of the shipwrecked champagne. This wine
selection is currently available at the Ritz Carlton in Moscow
for just $275,000 per bottle!
Le
Montrachet, DRC from 1978 is labeled the highest-priced drinkable
wine at $23,929, but is almost impossible to find. Luckily, there
are plenty of uber-pricey vintage wines that are still commercially
available through online wine sellers and auctions. The 1997 Domaine
De La Romanee Conti is considered one of the best wines ever produced,
and is available for just under $7000 online. A bottle of the
current vintage is around $3000 at many online wine shops. Another
premiere example is the 1982 Chateau Lafleur Pomerol, which can
be had for less than $6000. While only the most affluent can afford
to sample these super priced wines, there are many great examples
available at a much lower price. New wines are sold for much less
than the older vintages. Research your purchases, and store them
correctly. Buy the best bottles you can afford, and with proper
aging, you may one day be selling a $20,000 vintage wine!
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