Wine and spirits auctions

We are brightening up November’s dull and dark days with one of the year’s largest fine wine and spirits auctions

To the Auction >
This wide-ranging auction features almost 1,150 lots, so here we have picked out some highlights from the four largest categories.

This month Bordeaux accounts for more than one-third of the auction’s offerings. Among the Bordeaux reds are vintages from ten different decades, ranging from the 1920s right through to the current decade. These include some of the stellar vintages from the past 100 years: 1928, 1945, 1959, 1961, 1982, 1990, 2000, 2009 and 2010. In addition to these iconic vintages, there are a number of other strong vintages promising great taste experiences: 1983, 1985, 1995, 1996, 2001 and 2008 – to name but a few of the more than 400 Bordeaux lots. For anyone looking for a Bordeaux that evokes a sense of history, there is also a delicate white in the form of a Château d’Yquem 1908.

Among almost 200 whisky lots, we are proud to be able to offer a total of 29 different Port Ellen bottlings. Port Ellen, which closed in 1983, is one of the whisky industry’s legendary distilleries. The distillery’s owner Diageo has released 16 bottlings from the much sought-after Annual Release series, with editions dating from 2001 to 2016. The auction also features a rare forerunner to the series: Port Ellen Maltings, which is a 21-year-old anniversary edition bottled in 1998 to celebrate Port Ellen’s 25 years as a malt producer. Today, Port Ellen exists solely as a malt producer. Another rarity at the November auction is also a Scottish whisky: The Macallan Select Reserve 1946 52 Years Old, which is the distillery’s own limited edition from 1998, with a reserve price of SEK 100,000.

Champagne, with almost 130 lots, is a category for which there is always great demand. The November auction includes lots from both large and small producers, represented by vintages from 1964 to 2012, Champagne’s most recent outstanding vintage. Other well-represented great vintages are 1990, 1996, 2002 and 2008. These are vintages with a broad drinking window; wonderful to drink young, but in many cases also capable of ageing well.

Italy is on the up at our fine wine & spirits auctions, with almost 90 lots this time around. This is perhaps not quite so strange when you consider the huge interest in Italian wines in Sweden. Tuscany, Piedmont and Valpolicella dominate, with plenty of excellent vintages to choose from. One highlight is 2010, which is just now reaching maturity, and which was an excellent year for producers the length of Italy.

Anyone curious about lots in our other categories will not be disappointed. The auction includes almost 400 lots comprising a wide variety of wines and spirits from around the world.

Published online 26 Oct, Auction 5–7 Nov.