2012 is going to get to a bright start for wine collectors in Hong Kong with Zachys first auction of the year on the 7th January selling off some highly collectable Bordeaux and Rhone wines among others.

Dr Joseph S Weinstock‘s enviable collection will be unlocked especially with 700 lots on offer including three bottles of Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin Chateau Beaucastel 1990 (est. HK$9,500-14,000) and three bottles of Cote Rotie La Mouline Guigal 1985 (est. HK$16,000-26,000).

The day time auction is expected to draw in bidders in person as well as an international following of online bidders.

2011 has been a great year for auction house Zachys. They celebrated their most successful record breaking year with an evening auction and evening dinner at The Mandarin Oriental on Friday 18 November and a full auction session on Saturday 19 November.

Selling 100% of their Collector’s Cellar lots, the Hong Kong auctions totaled HK$22,762,150 in sales with highlights being the competitively bid upon Burgundy wines, including twelve bottles Romanee Conti Domaine de la Romanee Conti 1993 which almost doubled their estimated price, selling at HK$976,000.

The dinner was standing room only, as bidders took full advantage of the BYO no corkage charged policy and liberally enjoyed wines from all corners of the world. This was a lively finish to what has been quite a year for Zachys.

Thier next auction in Hong Kong will be their pre-Chinese New Year auction on 7 January 2012 at the Mandarin Oriental.

Burgundy wine is all the rage at the moment, and Acker Merrall & Condit‘s staggering auction record of HK$112,740,200 on 5 November just goes to prove that the famed French wine isn’t bowing out of the limelight just yet.

Setting the world record for the highest total sales in one auction in 2011, and 145 world auction records on top of that, the day saw bidders competing to aquire one of the world’s greatest grand cru Burgundy collections.

China’s wine market is increasingly getting a taste for Burgundy wine, so much so that wine critic Jancis Robinson MW recently expressed her fears at Wine Future held from 6 -8 November, that there wouldn’t be enough in the market to satisfy Asian demand. And, if Saturday’s auction is anything to go by, she could be right!

There was highly competitive bidding for this prized Don Stott Collection, with lots such as a case of 1990 Domaine de la Romanee Conti, La Tache, fetching an unprecedented price of HK$536,800.

It seems the Burgundy boom is set to long continue!

The Gelardini & Romani Wine Auction (G&R Wine Auction) established in 2004 is the first Italian auction house to specialise in fine and rare wines. They hold five auction sales each year in Italy and have played a key role in classifing the top Italian wines for collectors and investors, putting Italian Gran Cru on the map.

To celebrate 150 years of Italian unity, for the first time G&R Wine Auction will hold their first Italian fine wine auction in Hong Kong, offering one of the greatest collections dating back to the 1950s.

The auction will give buyers the opportunity to buy old vintages of top Italian wines, with a gala dinner held beforehand on 15 November to give Italian chef Umberto Bombana the opporunity to prepare a special menu paired with wines presented by Italy’s Best Sommelier Luca Martini at the 2 star Michelin restaurant, 8 ½.

The auction itself will be held at Domani on 19 November from 11 am to 5pm where Chef Pier Bussetti will present a selection of Italian special dishes to be accompanied by various Italian top wines, many of which will be available in the auction catalogue. Luca Martini will also conduct the tasting. One not to be missed!

Details:

Gala Dinner

• Date: Tuesday 15^th November 2011, 7pm
• Venue: 8 ½ restaurant
• Invitation only

Auction

• Date: Saturday 19^th November 2011, 11am to 5pm
• Venue: Domani restaurant,
• Contact: www.grwineaucton.com 

The recent Acker Merrall & Condit auction of fine wines and champagnes saw a shift in Asian drinking preferences and collector habits – with Burgundy wines taking the auction by storm. Of course, the Bordeaux did well too but it was a rare case of 1990 DRC Romanee-Conti that fetched a world record price of HK$2.31 million.

And that wasn’t the only wine to hit a record at the auction in the Park Hyatt on 17 September. Cases of 1988 & 1996 of DRC Romanee-Conti, 1990 Henri Jayer Vosne Romanee Cros Parantoux, 1961 La Mission Haut Brion and five different vintages of Salon Champagne broke their own records as 400 bidders and numerous international online and phone bidders battled it out to collect some of these unique wines.

A resounding 98% of the 959 lots were sold, proving that wine really is liquid gold.

It seems Hong Kong buyers were on a wine high last weekend as the two day Zachys took in an Asian record HK$80 million for rare, fine wines from around the globe. Not only was the exchange of cash incredible, but the amount of lots sold hit an unbelievable 96%.

The star of the two day auction (9 – 10 Sep) at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel was certainly Romanee Conti Domaine de la Romanee Conti, with an original wood case of 2001 selling for HK$976,000, and just one bottle of the 2005 taking in HK$115,900.

Other highlights included a rare vertical lot of Chateau Lafite Rothschild in Imperials (1995 – 2003) which sold at HK$ 793,000; Chateau Petrus 1982 bringing in almost a third more than its estimated value at HK$ 439,200; and Californian wines from Harlan and Bond Estates almost doubled their estimated values.

Around 400 bidders came (some bidding online) to get their pick of the 1,300 wines and this is sure to be an auction to remember for the family auctioneer. Zachys are hoping to strike gold again with their next auction weekend on 18 – 19 November.

The autumn wine auction season has got off to a flying start in Hong Kong with a record sale so far for 2011. Sold at HK$4.2million, Lot 44 of 25 cases of vintage 1981 to 2005, a vertical tasting collection from Chateau Lafite Rothschild topped the records as the highest value wine lot sold at auction worldwide this year.

Starting off the season with a two day auction in Hong Kong before further dates in London, New York and Paris, other highlights were an extremely rare Moet champagne from 1911, a case of Romanee-Conti from 1988 and a case of Petrus from 1947.

For the buyer of the 1911 Champagne, there was an extra incentive to bid high as the lot was a charity auction with an exclusive lunch on 6 September with Moet’s celebrity spokesperson Scarlett Johansson, the President of Moet & Chandon Daniel Lalonde, and Asia’s Managing Director Mark Bedingham, included in the prize.

Zachys’ auction season is commencing with an auction at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on September 9^th.

The auction will feature over 1,300 lots from some of the world’s finest cellars and producers. Highlights include a spectacular collection of collectible Bordeaux including eight separate original wood cases of Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1982, a Chateau Mouton Rothschild with exceptional provenance, an impressive collection of first growth Bordeaux and the best of vintage Californian.

As before, several lots from the Bacchus Fine Wine Collection selection will be offered as “Instant Collections” or verticals from some of the most distinguished wineries in Calfornia as well as Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone Valley.

Producers from two of the Napa Valley’s finest wineries - Bond and Harlan Estate – will join the auction and offer an opportunity to bid on wines personally selected from their own cellars.

Auction Details

• Date: September 9-10^th
• Time: Begins Friday at 6:30pm and again on Saturday at 9:30am
• Venue: The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Hong Kong
• For more information or to request a catalogue email asia@zachys.com, or call 2530 1971
• Visit Zachys on the web

Spectrum is hosting their Rare Wine Auction from 25-26 June at the Ritz-Carlton featuring three major single-owner collections.

The Pennsylvania Underground Collection from one of the east coast’s most famed cellars features large quantities of grand cru Burgundy in occ from top producers like de Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé and Domaine Leroy. This will be one of the most significant offerings from Araujo’s Eisele Vineyard ever brought to the Asian market.

The Aubrey McClendon Collection Part V is one of America’s most celebrated collections and includes such highlights as first growth Bordeaux imperials from the perfect 2000 vintage including Château Mouton Rothschild and Château Haut-Brion.

A Major General’s Collection offers cases of 2000 Château Latour and a double magnum of 1982 Château Lafite Rothschild.

Bids may be placed live in the auction room, online and by phone, or in advance via fax. Interested buyers may preview 360-degree photographs of bottles from each lot prior to the sale, and may request a complimentary catalog at www.spectrumwine.com.

Details:

• Date: 06/25/2011 & 06/26/2011
• Time: 10:00 a.m. HKT
• Location: Ritz-Carleton Hong Kong, International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon, Hong Kong
• Tel: (888) 982-1982 or (852) 2890-5767

Lasting over eight hours, the session held on Saturday May 28, 2011, resulted in the sale of every one of the 329 lots of Rarities that the Cellar of Château Latour has on offer.

This marks a promising start to the Hong Kong spring sales as bidders blew away valuations with 95% of lots exceeding their high estimates.

The auction total reached HK$59,718,000 – a figure helped by the top 14 lots reaching between HK$1 and HK$1.8 Million.

Vintage 1961 accounted for 9 of the top 10 sellers, with a 1945 Vintage snatching 5th place.

Mr. David Elswood, International Head of Wine for Christie’s, called the sale a “triumphant result for Château Latour in Hong Kong” and pointed out that the HK$1.8 Million sale price marked a new record for the 6 magnum lots of Vintage 1961.

Mr. Charles Curtis MW, Head of Wines for Christie’s Asia, commented that; “Asian buyers came out particularly strong, dominating our top tens of the sale.” He noted another record in the highest average lot value to date for this type of auction, at HK$152,342; a feat which Mr. Curtis said reflected a “true appreciation of quality and the pursuit of perfection among wine connoisseurs around the world.”

Click here for a list of the final prices.