Wine Auctions Drop 19% In 2012

Photo: A case of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild from the 1982 vintage. It sold for 32,200 pounds at an auction of a private collection of Bordeaux wines at Sotheby's in London on Jan. 25. Another case sold for $33,460 at Hart Davis Hart in Chicago on Dec. 8. Source: Sotheby's via Bloomberg

Wine Auctions Drop 19%, Chinese Demand Cools For Bordeaux -- Bloomberg

Wine sales by the biggest auction houses plunged 19 percent in 2012 as economic and political uncertainty in China cooled demand for trophy-name Bordeaux.

Sales by Acker Merrall & Condit, Christie’s International, Sotheby’s, Zachys and Hart Davis Hart Wine Co., excluding Internet business, raised $322 million with fees this year, down from the record $397 million achieved at equivalent events in 2011, according to data compiled by Bloomberg News.

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My Comment: More proof that money is getting tighter.

Wines Are Not Getting The Prices That They Got Last Year

A lot of six bottles from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, each from a different year starting in 1996 to 2001, sold for HK$726,000 at a Christie’s auction last weekend. Christie’s

Young Wine Fails to Sell -- The Telegraph

The auction, held Saturday in Hong Kong, was only 74% sold, reflecting the choppy market for the world’s most coveted wines. Earlier in the month, Sotheby’s sold all of its wines at another Hong Kong event.

Christie’s results contrast with last year’s record-breaking sellout events, but these days, the market is fickle.

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My Comment: Money is tight this year .... expect future auctions to also disappoint.

A Look At Wine Auction House Acker Merrall And Condit

Wine auctioneer John Kapon mans the hammer in May 2010. Acker Merrall & Condit

At This Auction, Glasses are Rarely Empty -- Wall Street Journal

John Kapon of Acker Merrall & Condit knows how to have a good time.

The American wine auctioneer and blogger, who once organized a $25,000-a-seat wine-tasting event, travels the world regularly for tastings of ultra-rare wines. This week, he’s in Hong Kong for a two-day Acker sale that’s expected to raise more than $10 million.

But in a crowded marketplace with Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Zachys, Bonhams and others competing to sell fine wine at auction in Hong Kong, Acker Merrall & Condit — America’s oldest wine shop — stands out with its emphasis on ensuring wine bidders have a good time. A really good time.

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My Comment: Who would have thought that a wine auction would be so much fun.

Billionaire Winos

Photo: John Kapon of Acker Merrall & Condit conducts an auction in Hong Kong. The November auction, run by Kapon, Acker's chief executive, raised $14.5 million. Bloomberg

Men's Vogue - Billionaire Winos -- Colgin

Their tasting notes would make Robert Parker blush, their thirst would choke a camel, and their pinkies—and noses—are decidedly not in the air. Glass of 1914 Pol Roger, anyone?

Big Boy is standing in the middle of the dining room at Manhattan's three-star Cru restaurant, waving a saber, demanding that everyone shut up and pay attention. It's not easy to shut this crowd up—they've been drinking really expensive wine for four hours, and the adrenaline of big spending is in the air. But Big Boy, aka Rob Rosania, is more than capable of shouting down a roomful of buzzed alpha males. It's his party, and his magnum is bigger than anyone else's magnum. He didn't build a billion-dollar real estate empire by acting like a pussy. Signature sunglasses planted in his curly, dark mane, he's wearing a natty blue Kiton windowpane sports jacket over an open white shirt showing plenty of chest hair, and while he doesn't actually pound his chest, he often gives the impression he's about to. He's in the process of selling off $5 million worth of his wine cellar to the assembled company—plus a few absentee bidders—and even though there are 40 or 50 more lots to go, he wants to celebrate.

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My Comment: A wine auction that makes me blush.