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High bids on Clair-Daü, Chave and Clos Rougeard

The latest Online Auction that closed on the 1st of April attracted nearly 600 buyers from around the world, who battled it out for some rare bottles, including a collection of Chave from Hermitage and different vintages of Clos Rougeard, red as well as white. In Bordeaux, it was primarily vintages older than 10 years that pushed the prices up, with one exception: the year 2009. This vintage generated impressive results for Château Pichon Longueville Baron, sold for €172 a bottle, up 10% on the iDealwine estimate, and Château Beychevelle, sold for €83…

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Bordeaux 2014: a question of price

In the aftermath of the 2014 Bordeaux En Primeur tastings, the question on everyone's mind is what prices will these wines be sold for? Every year, the En Primeur tastings draw the world’s media to Bordeaux, who evaluate and rate the wines, trying to identify specific strengths and flaws. Stakeholders unanimously hold their breath until the publication of tasting notes, which award some wines as “excellent”, while others "could improve" and some are even ”banished to the corner...”. Until a few years ago, the most awaited report was that of Robert Parker. But…

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What are the (true) vintages of the century?

Some wine regions claim to produce a great vintage, or even “vintage of the century”, every other year! But despite these commercial declarations, there are still some truly great vintages – those that entice fine wine buyers, especially at auction. But what is a great vintage? Think about it: a winemaker is able to produce an average wine from top quality grapes, but not a top quality wine from average grapes. A great vintage is therefore one that allows a winery to harvest ‘perfect’, top quality grapes. A vineyard can produce ‘perfect’ grapes…

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High bids for Clos de Tart, Côte-Rôtie and Champagne

One of the February Online Auctions at iDealwine attracted particularly active buyers from outside of France. Representing 30 different countries, these buyers bought nearly 50% of the lots sold, with Côte de Nuits, the Rhône Valley and Champagne all reaping impressive results. While Bordeaux’s prices remained mostly stable, there was renewed interest by Asian buyers in Lafite Rothschild, Haut Brion, La Mission Haut Brion, Palmer and Léoville Las Cases. The wines from Pontet Canet were also sought-after and their conversion to biodynamic practices has been particularly instrumental in the rise of prices for…

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Selecting the right glass

The shape and size of a wine glass is very important and while experts believe that a wine shows best in a larger glass, is bigger always better? When tasting (and drinking) wine, it is better to hold the glass by its base, not the body, which will warm the wine and make the flavours too volatile. It is a well-known fact that the tulip shape of a wine glass concentrates the aromas, making them more detectable. The type of material used (crystal compared to “cristallin”, which contains less lead) won’t significantly influence…

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How much is a vertical of Mouton Rothschild worth?

Château Mouton Rothschild’s labels are annually illustrated by a renowned artist, making it particularly suited to be sold as a vertical. This type of lot, which is highly prized by wealthy buyers, can reach record prices on auction. A vintage vertical of the same wine is a rare and sought-after collection item. Many collectors will therefore patiently collect different vintages of the same wine, hoping to eventually profit from the resale of the batch as a whole. However, not all wines are suited to be sold as a vertical. Mouton Rothschild and Yquem…

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When to sell your wine

Knowing when to sell a wine is just as important as knowing which wine to sell. Our criteria guide below offers some tips on when to sell a particular bottle at an iDealwine Online Auction. 1. The “peak” effect An important consideration when selling a wine is the time frame during which it will taste the best. Auction buyers are generally looking for ready-to-drink vintages and buyers are, for example, more interested in 1990 Bordeaux at the moment than 2010. With a few exceptions, a wide range of vintages – eg. 1995 to…

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WineDex® decreases, but older vintages still on the rise

March 2015 The iDealwine indices, which measure the evolution of fine wine prices over the past 10 years, saw a decrease of 1.14% for February, while the demand for older vintages grew. The year kicked off with very dynamic Online Auctions, which continued to draw international interest. Nearly 50% of purchases at the most recent iDealwine auction were made by buyers throughout Europe (excluding France), Asia and the United States. These buyers favoured older vintages, while prices of more recent ones remained stable. The iDealwine Bordeaux displays the auction price evolution of the…

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