The Top Five Fine and Rare Wines
Nowadays you can get a cheap bottle of wine for less than £5, but there are still some of the rarest and oldest wines in the World that fetch the hundreds of thousands. Many of these are just collectibles as they are no longer drinkable and have now turned to vinegar, which is a natural process. But some aren't so old, and if you really wanted, you could experience the taste of $304,000! Here we take a look at the top five fine and rare wines.
1. 1787 Chateau Margaux
This wine was a bottle from America's third President, Thomas Jefferson's private collection. It even has his initials on it and although it was priced at $500,000 in the 1980's, sadly an accident with a waiter in the Four Seasons broke it. Thankfully the owner of the bottle had had it insured, and received $225,000 payment from his insurance company in 1989. That's around $390,000 in today's money.
2. 1907 Heidsieck
A shipment of 200 bottles of Heidsieck were on their way to the Russian Imperial family in 1916, but the ship sank and the bottles lost in the deep depths of the ocean. Over eighty years later they finally reached their destination, when a ship driver found them in 1997 and they were sold at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Moscow for a massive $275,000 each.
3. 1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc
Known as the finest wine of all time, a rare six-litre Imperial bottle of this claret was sold in Geneva for $304,375. The high price was due to it being the only known imperial bottle format in the world. It can still be drunk today and is fine for another 50 years! It has become known as the greatest wine in the world, and closely resembles a vintage port in its concentration and sweetness.
4. 1787 Chateau Lafite
No longer drinkable but sold as a collectible, the finest wine to ever turn into vinegar fetched $160,000 ($315,000 in today's money) at an auction in London in 1985. It was sold to Malcolm Forbes, and like the 1787 Chateau Margaux it was from Thomas Jefferson's private collection, and includes his initials.
5. 1775 Massandra
This is the oldest and rarest bottle of Massandra known to date, and is sherry from Russia. Although not the most expensive bottle it is certainly one of the rarest, and was sold at auction in 2001 for $43,500.
1. 1787 Chateau Margaux
This wine was a bottle from America's third President, Thomas Jefferson's private collection. It even has his initials on it and although it was priced at $500,000 in the 1980's, sadly an accident with a waiter in the Four Seasons broke it. Thankfully the owner of the bottle had had it insured, and received $225,000 payment from his insurance company in 1989. That's around $390,000 in today's money.
2. 1907 Heidsieck
A shipment of 200 bottles of Heidsieck were on their way to the Russian Imperial family in 1916, but the ship sank and the bottles lost in the deep depths of the ocean. Over eighty years later they finally reached their destination, when a ship driver found them in 1997 and they were sold at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Moscow for a massive $275,000 each.
3. 1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc
Known as the finest wine of all time, a rare six-litre Imperial bottle of this claret was sold in Geneva for $304,375. The high price was due to it being the only known imperial bottle format in the world. It can still be drunk today and is fine for another 50 years! It has become known as the greatest wine in the world, and closely resembles a vintage port in its concentration and sweetness.
4. 1787 Chateau Lafite
No longer drinkable but sold as a collectible, the finest wine to ever turn into vinegar fetched $160,000 ($315,000 in today's money) at an auction in London in 1985. It was sold to Malcolm Forbes, and like the 1787 Chateau Margaux it was from Thomas Jefferson's private collection, and includes his initials.
5. 1775 Massandra
This is the oldest and rarest bottle of Massandra known to date, and is sherry from Russia. Although not the most expensive bottle it is certainly one of the rarest, and was sold at auction in 2001 for $43,500.
Source...