What is the most expensive wine in the world?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Winemaking is a special art. If you do not consider it on a global industrial scale, then, like any creative process, it generates both masterpieces and ordinary creations. Like some other works of art, this amazing drink has become the subject of investment and collection of rare samples of the most expensive wine. What product is considered especially expensive? What makes one bottle worth a fortune? And why does another wine, even of excellent quality, cost so much less?

Important factors

Wine is the result of the fermentation process of grape berries. Its quality can vary greatly depending on the climate, soil, age and genetics of the vines, and most importantly, the skill of the winemaker. The climate changes every year, affecting the final product. But soil and vine genetics tend to stay the same. Grape seedlings continue to grow, yielding less and less every year, but the taste of the fruit becomes more intense. As in any other profession, some winemakersshow more talent and skills than others. All these factors influence the assessment of the drink after the final testing of its quality and value. However, even impeccable properties do not make the wine the most expensive.

Grading system in the Old and New Worlds

Each of the European producing countries is trying to classify the taste and quality of wine, determining the technology and yield that should be observed in specific regions. Historical glory has been fixed for certain territories and vineyards. Therefore, the quality of the drink produced in these regions is determined immediately. To do this, just look at the label.

New World wines are not subject to this classification system, which determines which producers, plantations or regions have historically produced quality drinks. This monitoring is carried out only by tasting the product by specialists, the results of which are covered in the specialized press. Thus, the value of the drink in the USA today is mainly determined. But this does not make any wine the most expensive.

Auctions

Most bottles of quality wine are sold at specialized auctions, where the final indicator of the value of the product - the monetary value - is basically established. Every serious collector, investor or appraiser should have the results of these auctions, as well as current retail prices for the most popular wines, in order to determine the correct value at any time.goods. Gathering this data is a complex task that is handled by professionals offering regular pricing lists. These documents make it possible to judge not only the most expensive wine, but also the most promising drink in terms of investment.

Many of the auctions around the world are held as charity events, where the price of wine can be exaggerated due to the desire to donate a larger amount than the lot is actually worth. This happened, for example, with the 1992 Cabernet vintage from California producer Screaming Eagle.

American Made Icon

Screaming Eagle is a young winery in the Napa Valley that produces a limited number (about 6,000 bottles) of varietal wine per year. Due to low production volumes and high prices, their product is considered a cult product in the United States. The first wine was released in 1990 and received a high peer review: 99 points out of a hundred. At first, the cost of a bottle was estimated by the manufacturer at $50. The wine reached the consumer (in shops, clubs and restaurants) at a price of $ 1000-2000 per bottle. In 2003 Screaming Eagle valued its products already at $300, and its final cost after all intermediary transactions reached $5000.

In 2000, a six liter bottle of Screaming Eagle Cabernet was purchased for $497,000 at a charity auction held in Napa. It became the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold. But this drink cannot be considered the most expensive, since its container isexceeded the standard several times.

High Pricing

Limited annual production of wines, high expert evaluation, press reviews, good advertising - this is the basis for the prestige and high prices of products not only for Screaming Eagle, but also for most modern productions in the USA and Europe, whose brands have become objects of reverence and wine fetish.

The cost of a drink may not always be an objective indicator of its quality. This is especially true for New World products, where the cult of the most expensive wine in the world flourishes, and the main factor in pricing is demand. Many wines are considered luxurious due to advertising and promotion in the press, which is either too ill-informed or afraid to speak the truth. Huge prices provide these productions with a position in the "major league" of winemaking in the world market. While price is no guarantee of taste, these wines sell quickly, adding to their value.

Historic bottle

If we talk about wine auctions that are not charitable, but commercial, then from time to time unique items are put up for auction, the cost of which amounts to hundreds of thousands of euros or dollars. Such a striking example is the historical curiosity - 1907 champagne of the famous brand Heidsieck Champagne. In 1998, a batch of a drink called Diamant Bleu was found in the hold of the Swedish cargo ship Jönköping, which sank from a German torpedo hit in the watersGulf of Finland in 1916. The ship was chartered to deliver alcohol to the Russian imperial court through neutral Sweden. About 2,000 bottles, well preserved in cold waters, were brought to the surface and sold at a number of auctions around the world, including in Moscow. One lot was bought for 213,000 pounds, but it did not become the most expensive bottle of wine in the world.

Legendary claret

In 2010, the Bordeaux masterpiece Cheval Blanc bottled in 1947 received the title of not only the most valuable single bottle ever bought at auction, but also the most expensive red wine. It is considered legendary because of the atypical, but surprisingly rich taste inherent in the drinks of the Bordeaux region. Many experienced tasters claim that this is not only the best Cheval Blanc of the 20th century, but also the most excellent claret of this century.

In 1947, 110,000 bottles of this rare drink, based on equal proportions of French Cabernet and Merlot, were produced. At that time, the cost of wine was 15-50 old francs per bottle. In 2010, one of them was sold to a private collector in Geneva at Christie's for £235,000.