Cheers to that! Triumphant Results For Fine Wine & Spirits

UK buyers dominated the sale, with many taking advantage of our newly launched delivery service, seeing their successfully purchased lots delivered to their doors for a pre-arranged fee. A corking deal!

Leading the sale at a remarkable £4,779* were three bottles of 1961 Chateau Palmer. The '61 Bordeaux vintage has achieved something of a legendary status amongst wine aficionados, and at 60 years of age remains one of, if not the most desirable vintage of the century. For those with the patience and self-restraint to resist drinking now, some believe it could continue to mature further. The bottles, which had been kept in the vendor’s cellar since before December 1965, had an original high estimate of £3,000. 

^{Chateau Palmer, 3eme Cru Classe, Margaux, Berry Bros & Rudd bottling, 1961, three bottles. Sold for  £4,779*}

Other highlights included a single bottle of 1966 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, another of the great Bordeaux vintages, sold at £1,560*, and a single bottle of 1934 Chateau d’Yquem, Sauternes, deemed one of the great dessert wines, at £1,430*.

Whisky continues to prove extremely popular amongst older and younger generations alike with soaring prices a testament to current levels of interest. A cult bottle for collectors is the (undated) Macallan, released in 1996, celebrating 35 years of Private Eye magazine. The label is designed by the prolific illustrator Ralph Steadman. When it was first produced, a bottle would have cost £36 plus an additional £6.95 for postage and packaging, with the edition limited to 5000 bottles. However, prices have spiked in the past decade. A bottle offered in the sale achieved £5,135* - possibly a record for this label!

^{The Macallan, Private Eye Limited Edition, 2654/5000, 40% volume, 70 cl. one bottle. Sold for £5,135*}

Continuing the demand for rare whisky - a bottle of the Bowmore Bicentenary Very Old Islay Single Malt took £1,820* in the sale.

The market for Fine Wine & Spirits continues to be buoyant across the board - despite (or perhaps because of!) the closure of restaurants during the pandemic. Sworders’ specialist Paul Fox commented: “The ability of a good wine to provide a special occasion, whatever the circumstance or location, has proved invaluable. The last year has been an opportunity for those with the inclination to expand their palate to discover a world of flavours and textures from the comfort of their own home. Those that took advantage of the accessible and enjoyable experience of online wine auctions during lockdown will surely not look back, even after normality returns!"

*all prices include Buyers Premium 

We are currently welcoming entries of Fine Wine & Spirits for our next timed sale, beginning on Friday 11 June. Want to know how much your tipples may be worth? Contact our specialist now - Paul Fox | 01279 817778 | paulfox@sworder.co.uk

Entries close Friday 7 May.