Whether he’s writing music or selling wine, it seems Andrew Llyod Webber can’t lose.

The auction for his wine collection which took place on Saturday in Hong Kong at the Mandarin Oriental was a smashing success as they might say in the opera community. By the numbers:

• The auction was 6 hours long.
• 100% of the 740 lots were sold.
• Sotheby’s expected HK$32 million, they got HK$43.3 million
• 53% of the buyers bid online.
• 97% of the lots got higher prices than expected. So that’s only 3% of so-so wine and evidence that Andrew has a good nose as well as a good ear.

Another amazing wine auction and some standouts were :

• 12 Bottles of Chateau Petrus 1982: Sold for HK$605,000 on estimates of HK$320-480,000
• 12 bottles of Chateau Lafite 1982: Sold for HK$459,800 on estimates of HK$240-400,000
• 11 bottles of Chateau Petrus 1982: Also sold for HK$459,800 on estimates of HK$280-420,000

Sotheby’s is back in April with more auction action.

Organised by IFT Hotel Management Association and David Wong, the Macau Idol Charity Gala Dinner is a fundraising dinner in aid of  ”Action Oasis – Giving Mainland Children Schooling Opportunities”, a charity set up to provide financial support to those who cannot afford education in the western provinces of Mainland China.

David Wong is rallying wine collectors to donate wines for this special cause and, if you would like to make a donation, attend the Gala Dinner or offer support in any way,  get in touch with David at davidwong@ift.edu.mo

Some of the wines that will be on auction for the night:

• Chateau Lafite 1961 (donated by Adriano Gomes da Silva Tam, IWC)
• Penfolds Grange 1997 signed by John Duval (David Wong, IFT)
• 6 bottles set of Bodega Norton. including 3 bottles of Bodega Norton Privada 2007 (donated by Robert Temple, ASC)
• Barca Velha 1991 (Felipe Santos, President of the Wine Society of Macau)
• Burmester Vintage Porto 1994 and 1 case of 6-bottle Esporao Reserva Tinto, 10th Anniversary of Macau SAR Special Edition (Sandy Leong, Great Time)
• Tignanello 1971 (Timothy Feathers, Summergate)

Macau Idol Charity Gala Dinner 2010

• When: 28 May 2010
• Time: 7-11pm
• Venue: IFT Educational Restaurant
• Cost: MOP 380 nett per person
• RSVP: contact David Wong at davidwong@ift.edu.mo

Cyberport is holding its 3-day Wine Festival the last week of October from October 25-27th.

In order to promote wine culture in Hong Kong, Cyberport is going all out with a festive carnival atmosphere, with about 30 different special-style stalls selling vintage wines from different countries. Taking place outdoors from noon till 8pm everyday, enjoy Cyberport’s distinct Hong Kong seaview while tasting some delicious new wines.

Amongst the standard activities such as wine tasting and auctions, Cyberport is going for a whole new audience with its most interesting event – the 1st Wine Angel Contest:

“The First Hong Kong Wine Angel Competition” aims to select modern ladies with great wine knowledge to promote wine culture to the general public in Hong Kong. All contestants will be tested on their wine knowledge and wine serving manner in addition to their elegant catwalk style.

There are actually some great prizes awarded for the top Wine Angel including a modelling contract, HK$20,000 worth of gifts and a chance to be TV programme host. Hong Kong model Rosemary Vandenbroucke will be the chief judge and she has this to say. Other judges include Berry Bros. and Rudd Director Mr K K Mui and Mr Jacky Cheung the President of Wine Association of Hong Kong.

If you have something against beautiful young ladies, other activities include: wine bars, wine kitchen, charity wine auction, wine investment seminar, wine education seminars, live music, and something to remind you that Hallowe’en is just around the corner.

There is a free shuttle to Cyberport for this event which starts on Sunday till Tuesday, and luckily that Monday is the Chung Yeung Festival (重陽節) holiday, so you have time to nurse that hangover should you drink too much. More details can be found at http://wine.cyberport.com

The auctions have always been a place for exciting happenings but the fine wine market has been extremely tantalizing as a place to buy and sell Investment Grade Wines which are a bit reluctant to show up to Hong Kong’s glimmering shores.

This reluctance helps the wines catch a premium price at auctions which may disappoint those who were hoping to take advantage of inaccurate pricing as a result of poor overseas knowledge on wines which have yet to mature. In fact, we are seeing quite the opposite with wine companies like Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Acker Merrill specifically tailoring to the emerging, feverish market.

In fact, a new breed of buyers is emerging that is quite different from those in the past. No longer are buyers purchasing wines for investment purposes or collections. According to Official Spin who interviewed several of the winning bidders, it was found that several buys were actually looking to wait and drink the wines. With the rich and savvy coming to bid on these wines, it is a way to flaunt their wealth and status by posturing the lack of regard for price and as a result the prices are going up rather than down despite what must be several investors’ wishes.

Another reason for this could be because of the new reduction of tax to zero, most Chinese believe that they are saving money instead, and will be prone to bid higher in light of this savings.

To read the article in full, click here.

Zachys returned to Hong Kong for its second auction in the city last Saturday, April 25. The auction reached a staggering sales total of HK$32 million and featured over 760 lots of the world’s finest and rarest wines, including the best of Bordeaux and Burgundy.

Zachys President Jeff Zacharia commented, “We are thrilled to return to Hong Kong for our second auction. There is no doubt in my mind that Asia is emerging as one of the most important wine markets in the world and that Hong Kong is certainly the hub of all of this excitement.”

The highlight of the auction was undoubtedly the 1982 Latour Superlot (12 bottles, 6 magnums, 3 double magnums and 1 6L imperial), which sold for HK$786,500. Other highlights include a lot of Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1982, the 6-magnum lot fetched a total of HK$314,600, as well as a rare twenty-magnum (1.5 L) lot of 1998 Krug Clos du Mesnil, which fetched HK$290,400.

Zachys next auction will take place in Hong Kong June 13 2009, stay tuned for more details.