These Are The Most Expensive Wines In The World
Some wines are so exquisite and rare that they fetch incredibly high prices. These wines are the most expensive in the world and are considered a status symbol by many. We introduce them and explain what makes them so valuable.
The most expensive wines in the world are red! But what distinguishes a good wine? First and foremost, it is good vineyards, excellent grape varieties, optimal climate conditions, as well as the manual work and knowledge of the winegrowers that create an excellent wine.
Wine connoisseurs: Inside appreciate a balanced harmony of acidity and tannins, which give the red wine a strong, warm and heavy taste. People like to dig a little deeper into their wallets for a good wine. However, some wines exceed any framework prices and are among the most expensive wines in the world. Here are our top 7!
7th place: Penfolds Grange 1951 - €88,000
Penfolds Grange originated in Australia and has been commercially available since the 1950s. It is made from Shiraz grapes and is known for its exceptional quality and high alcohol content. In 2021, a bottle of the fine wine was auctioned for a whopping €88,000.
Not only that the bottle from 1951 belongs to the first vintage of the Grange. It is believed that there are another 35 bottles, almost half of them in full vintage collections. The winemaker Max Schubert secretly produced the Grange behind the backs of his superiors. The bottle was recorked and signed by him personally in August 1988.
6th place: Château Margaux 1787 - €191,000
This wine originates from Bordeaux in France and has been produced since the 17th century. Château Margaux is known for its fine aromas and the combination of power and elegance. Former US President Thomas Jefferson owned several bottles of the fine wine.
In 1989, wine merchant William Sokolin hosted an exquisite dinner at the Four Seasons restaurant in New York . At the event, a bottle of Château Margaux owned by Jefferson was to be sold for $500,000, with media involvement. Unfortunately, the bottle broke before it was sold. The insurance paid out a sum equivalent to €191,000 for the damage, making it one of the most expensive wines (never drunk) in the world.
5th place: Château Lafite-Rothschild 1869 - €195,000
The Château Lafite-Rothschild in Pauillac, Médoc near Bordeaux, is owned by the Rothschild family and is one of the most famous wineries in the world. At a wine auction in 2010 in Sotheby's, Hong Kong, a bottle of Château Lafite-Rothschild 1869 sold for a whopping €195,000.
At the time, it was the most expensive 750ml bottle of wine ever sold. The wine predates phylloxera . It was first introduced to Europe from North America at the end of the 19th century. That makes the wine even more extraordinary.
4th place: Château Cheval Blanc 1947 - €276,000
The prestigious winery Château Cheval Blanc is located in St.Emilion, Bordeaux and is certified with the Grand Cru Classé A. Because of the warm weather, 1947 was a particularly good vintage. The wine is made with Merlot and a particularly high proportion of Cabernet Franc. In 2010, a wine collector bought a 6-litre bottle of Château Cheval Blanc for €276,000 at an auction in Geneva.
Top 3: You could trade a bottle of wine for a house
3rd place: Romanée-Conti 1945 - € 491,000
Our third place also comes from a very famous winery in Bordeaux: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. The wine contains Pinot Noir grapes whose vines were cleared and restocked after the harvest on the plots of "La Tâche". The 1945 Grand Cru Romanée Conti thus contains the last grapes from the winery's old vines and their prior, strong flavor.
This is arguably one of the reasons why an anonymous bidder from Hong Kong spent a small fortune on the bottle at a 2018 auction at Sotheby's . The bottle was initially valued at $33,000. The wine lover received the bid for an unbelievable $558,000, at that time the equivalent of around €491,000.
Interesting: On the same evening, a second bottle of Romanée-Conti went under the hammer for €434,000.
2nd place: Screaming Eagle 1992 - €528,000
The Cabernet from the Screaming Eagle winery in Napa Valley, California comes from the debut vintage of 1992 and scored 99 points directly from Robert Parker. The fine wine was only produced in small quantities, of which only a very few 6-litre bottles were filled. At a charity event in 2000, one of these 6 liter bottles was auctioned for $500,000. The wine was purchased by actor Bailey Chase (" Buffi The Vampire Slayer ").
Given the dollar price, the Screaming Eagle would have to trade places with Romanée-Conti. However, the euro exchange rate at the time of sale allows the Californian wine to rise to our second place with the equivalent of € 528,000.
1st place: The Setting 2019 - €980,000
It wasn't very long ago that a new record was set for the most expensive wine in the world. On November 6, 2021, entrepreneur Don Steiner bought a bottle of Jeroboam Edition Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for a staggering $1,000,000 - the equivalent of just under €980,000!
But what justifies this incredible price? It's probably the cult surrounding Jesse Katz's "The Setting" winery and the fact that only a very tiny amount of the wine was bottled. The most expensive bottle of wine in the world is the only 6 liter bottle of 3 year old Cabernet Sauvignon. A true one-of-a-kind. In any case, we can assume that this bottle will never be opened.
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