Over the years, the prices of some red wines have stolen the
limelight away from the wine itself. Whether because of an iconic label, a
former famous owner, or just simply a rare and highly valuable vintage, the
wines in this list are surely some of the most lavish liquid purchases in the
entire history.
Buying any of the wines on this list would make most of us
declare bankruptcy. However, if you have the money or the mood to buy an expensive
bottle then here are some of the most expensive and finest red wines in the
world.
This is not a definitive list admittedly, as the items here
are sold differently: some are sold per bottle, jeroboam, or double-magnum.
The wine market, please take note, has a lot of
intermediaries which may have a direct effect on the prices. Importers,
wholesalers, as well as retailers are in the market to make a profit, so prices
of wines may change depending on which level you’re dealing with. In addition,
the prices of wines in auctions generally get out of hand and may result in
heftier price tags.
#5 Chateau Margaux, Euro 209.750 ($225,000)
Chateau Margaux is still producing wines to this day.
They’re known for good, expensive wines and their reputation in the wine
industry is one of the best. With the average bottle costing at least $1,500,
they’re definitely not something you’d pick up on a whim.
In 1989, wine Merchant William Sokolin suffered the greatest
loss the win industry has seen so far. Discovered in 1985, a bottle of 1875
Chateau Margaux Wine that belonged to Thomas Jefferson was discovered behind a
wall in a Paris cellar. At a party with the then owners of the Chateau, he went
home to show them the crown jewel of his collection that he’d personally valued
at $512,000.
Making his rounds around the room with this treasure, all
was going according to plan when the worst happened. The bottle hit the corner
of a chair and fell straight to the ground. The old glass held and the bottle
itself didn’t shatter. However, two good sized holes did appear and the wine
leaked all over the floor. Sokolin was so upset, he left the party with his now
worthless bottle forgetting of all things- his wife. A puddle of the 114-year-old wine left on the
counter of the coat check was tasted by restaurant manager Julian Niccolini.
Unsurprisingly, his review was one word: “Yuck.”
Despite the high evaluation, the insurance company only paid
out $225,000 for the ultra-rare bottle of wine. This was still more than it
sold for, as at Auction it only sold for a measly $155,453.
#4 Chateau Lafite Euro 216.900 ($232,692)
In 2010, a rare wine from Chateau Lafite was put up by
Sotheby’s in China. Part of a 2000 bottle group from Lafite’s cellars, they
were among the oldest bottles of wine in the auction. A vintage from 1869, the
bottles had only been valued at $8,000 per bottle. Due to a bidding war that
astounded even the auctioneers, the bottles were eventually sold for $232,692
each. The kicker is that they were all sold to the same person. The Anonymous
Asian bidder paid just under a million dollars for the three bottles. Talk about
not learning to share.
#3 1907 Heidsieck Euro 256.400 ($275,000)
While not technically a wine, I think this 1907 Heidsieck
sits comfortably among them for the most expensive bottles sold.
During world war 1, a German U-boat fired upon a Swedish
freighter stocked with spirits headed for the court of Tsar Nicholas II. The
freighter, named “Jönköping” (try saying that 8 times fast) went down with zero
casualties as the German’s in a stunning show of compassion, evacuated the crew
before sinking it with a single torpedo. It lay in the gulf of Finland for 80
years before being raised in 1997. Less than 2,000 bottles were recovered and
of those, less than 1,000 were still drinkable. Available at auction and at some
of the fanciest hotels, it regularly sells still for $275,000. If you’re
interested in trying a similar wine for a much better price, they sell the 1996
version for $120.
#2 1947 Cheval-Blanc, Euro 209.750 ($304,000)
This wine is unique because it shouldn’t have been as good
as it was, but somehow managed to become the wine other spirits wish they could
be. Facing weather that was ruining their crops and damaging the wine making
process deep in their cellars, it was almost the ruin of Cheval-Blanc. Because
no one had mastered refrigerated wine making, quite a few vats ended up with yeast
going bad and the fermentation process just stopping resulting in a gross,
sugary mess.
The vats that survived made one of the best Bordeaux’s in
the world according to wine tasters. For that reason, an unknown buyer
purchased a bottle in Geneva for a whopping $304,000 at a Christies auction.
Bottles had previously sold for around $12,000 a bottle but with an ever
diminishing supply, the price started to rise sharply. In 2008, a lucky buyer
purchased a case for $146,000. At current prices, that would be a whopping 3.6
million dollars at current market value.
#1 Screaming Eagle
Cabernet 1992, Euro 466.100 ($500,000)
The newest wine on this list, the Screaming Eagle is
actually one of the highest reviewed. Sold at auction or by an exclusive
mailing list, it was one of the rarer wines for such a new vintage. Only 175
cases were produced, even less were produced of the following years. The
bottles were sold in up to six liters though so if you bought one, you were set
for a good amount of time if you didn’t rush yourself.
Last sold at a charity auction in 2000 for $500,000 the high
demand quickly ran through the supply of this new wine. Not bad for a wine that
had only gone to market 5 years
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