Most expensive bottle of white wine ever sold for £75,000

Most expensive bottle of white wine ever sold for £75,000

LIQUOR NEWS

Mail Online - Jul 27th 2011, 11:38

This is certainly a bottle of wine to save for a very special occasion. The precious bottle of 1811 Château d’Yquem today became the world's most valuable bottle of white wine, after it was sold for £75,000.


 

The rare vintage set a new Guinness World Record, after The Antique Wine Company sold the bottle to the wine connoisseur and private collector Christian Vanneque.

The new owner purchased the rare bottle for his new establishment, SIP Sunset Grill in Bali, Indonesia, where it will go on display when the restaurant launches in September.

So whoever is eventually charged with opening it - if Mr Vanneque decides to - will need to be incredibly careful with the delicate drink and hope that they don't drop the cork inside.

The 1811 Chateau d’Yquem has earned its hefty price tag after critics raved about it.

The costly tipple is prized as one of the greatest wines in the history of Bordeaux and one of the most supreme vintages ever produced.

It was rated the ultimate ‘100 points’ by wine critic Robert Parker and again 100 points by The Wine Spectator's Per-Henrik Mansson in 1999.

But the 200-year-old bottle had to go through rigorous checks to establish its huge value.

The bottle was accompanied by a ’record of inspection’ and the label was examined and compared to the 1811 paper labels held in the files at the chateau.

An inspection of the glass bottle confirmed that the shape, punt and colour appeared to be in accordance with other examples previously seen from the early vintages of the 19th century.

The capsule was identical in appearance to the Chateau d’Yquem capsules used for recorking purposes and on removal of the capsule the full printed cork was examined to prove this ancient bottle was authentic.

The majority of white wines are not meant to age. In fact, most of them expire in the bottle after just a few years.

But Château d’Yquem is the exception.

The high levels of residual sugar in the wine, combined with the grapes’ natural acidity, serve as preservative agents which protect it from spoilage.

There are only a few wines in the world that have these unique properties.

If stored properly, d’Yquem can age for indefinite periods.

In 1811, the Flaugergues Comet (aka The Great Comet of 1811) passed by the earth. Now 1811 has become the most well known of the so-called 'Comet Vintages.'

Chateau d’Yquem is one of the most esteemed and highly sought after Chateaux in the world and sits at the top of a hill near Sauternes, Bordeaux.

Certified with a Guinness World Record adjudicator present, the bottle goes down in history today, as the most valuable bottle of white wine ever sold.