Here is a ranking of the 10 most expensive wines in the world, according to the Wine-Searcher database and other sources. You might want to have a glass or two of grape juice while reading this. Well, it is both healthier and cheaper than shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars for a bottle of wine that may have long since lost its properties.
10. Chateau d'Yquem 1811 - $117 000
One of the greatest wines in the history of Bordeaux was born in 1811 in the French wine estate of Château d'Yquem.
Long outliving its creators, the Chateau d'Yquem bottle was sold in 2011 for £75,000 ($117,000) to private collector Christian Vanneck. It is now the most expensive bottle of white wine in the world. And it may already be empty.
9. Chateau Lafite 1787 - $ 156 450
In 1985, publisher Malcolm Forbes shelled out nearly $160,000 for a bottle of Chateau Lafite red wine from the 1787 vintage that was believed to have come from the cellar of the third US president, Thomas Jefferson. This is proven by the initials Th.J. engraved on it. One of the founding fathers of the bastion of democracy was a great connoisseur of spirits and had an impressive wine collection that was successfully sold off by money-seekers. However, the authenticity of this bottle is disputed, and experts are divided on the issue.
The high-profile story of Chateau Lafite 1787 did not end with the sale. Forbes displayed his prized acquisition in a collection dedicated to Thomas Jefferson; however, the bottle’s cork, unable to withstand the lamplight, dried out and fell inside. Upset, Forbes immediately called wine expert Michael Broadbent, who at that time headed the wine department at Christie’s. Broadbent’s advice was simple and brilliant – just insert a new cork. All these events only added fuel to the debate about whether this wine can be considered authentic, or whether the engraving on it is a skillful fake.
8. Penfolds Limited Edition Ampoule - $168,000
It is the most expensive wine sold directly from the winery. And those who can't afford it can buy a glass for only $850.
Unlike other participants in the wine rating, this wine in a very original package is an exclusively commercial product from the most famous winery in South Australia.
Wine tasting is an exciting experience in itself; and to make it truly unforgettable, each “ampoule” containing the precious liquid comes with a glass tip that must be broken off in the right way. The buyer is assisted in this by specially trained winery staff.
7. Chateau Margaux 1787 - $225,000
The story of one of the most expensive wines in the world had a tragic ending. This bottle of Chateau Margaux once belonged to Thomas Jefferson and the insurance company valued it at $225,000.
Its last owner, William Solokin, a wine merchant, brought his alcoholic jewel to a dinner party at the Four Season Hotel. And there, a careless waiter broke it! According to another version, the bottle was accidentally broken by Solokin himself when his bag with Chateau Margaux 1787 inside hit the serving table.
Whatever the reality, the insurance company paid Solokin a quarter of a million dollars for a drink he would never try again.
6. Chateau Lafite 1869 - $230,000
Chateau Lafite is a wine estate in France that has been owned by members of the Rothschild family since the 19th century. And just as the Rothschilds are considered to be among the richest people in the world, Chateau Lafite wine is considered to be one of the most expensive alcoholic drinks, available only to the golden billion.
In 2010, three bottles of Chateau Lafite with the divine nectar of the 1869 harvest were sold at Sotheby's auction. Each of them was asking 230 thousand dollars. All three lots were purchased by one buyer, and how much he paid for them - you can easily calculate yourself. Now the new owner can enjoy the expensive drink, having emptied the first two bottles, and leaving the third to be the envy of everyone.
5. Shipwrecked 1907 Heidsieck - $275,000
A batch of this noble drink from the 1907 harvest was intended as a gift to the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II. However, it did not reach its destination, as the ship that was carrying champagne for the Russian Imperial Court was sunk by a German submarine during World War I. And only in 1998, divers found the sunken valuable cargo off the coast of Finland. Alas, it was not included in the list of the best champagne according to Roskachestvo, as it is not intended for the mass consumer.
Now unknown lucky people inhale this wonderful aroma of history.
4. Cheval-Blanc 1947 - $304 375
The spring and autumn of 1947 were exceptionally hot from early April to October. The harvest at Château Cheval Blanc began on September 15, when temperatures were still above 35 degrees, and was completed fairly quickly. These hot conditions meant that the 1947 Bordeaux wines reached unusually high levels of natural sugar.
In 2010, one of the finest creations of viticultural art, Cheval Blanc 1947, passed into the hands of a private collector, who paid over $300,000 for it at a Christie's auction.
3. Chateau Mouton Rothschild Jeroboam 1945 - $310 700
The label of this wine features a gold "V" sign, which signifies the victory of the USSR and the Allies in World War II. But it is not only the sign that has determined the high price of the bottle. It is all about its large size. If this bottle had been a standard 750 ml, it would have been sold for only $51,783.
2. Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 1992 - $500,000
One of the most expensive wines ever sold. And while other elite spirits only became more expensive as they aged, the 1992 Screaming Eagle had not yet celebrated its tenth anniversary at the time of sale.
A king-size bottle of Screaming Eagle (a whopping six liters) sold for a whopping half a million dollars in 2000 at a charity auction in the famed wine-growing region of Napa Valley. It was affordable to Chase Bailey, the former head of Cisco Systems.
1. Romanee-Conti Grand Cru - $551 314
Some people spend more than half a million dollars for the most expensive wine, called Romanee-Conti, from the 1945 vintage. The initial estimate for a 73-year-old bottle of French Burgundy, put up for auction at Sotheby's in 2018, was $32,000. And the final price for a bottle of the most expensive wine exceeded the starting price by more than 17 times.
Romanee-Conti is the "king of collectible wines," and 1945 is its most expensive vintage. Only 600 bottles were produced at the time, and it was the last year to use the older, preferred vines.
According to Sotheby's, the finest bottles of 1945 Romanee-Conti are "so concentrated and exotic that they seem to have an eternal power - a wine at peace with itself." We can only hope that the person who saw fit to spend so much on a bottle of spirits is also at peace with themselves.
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