Wine enthusiasts, investors and makers came together today at Lambert Estate in South Australia’s Barossa for the biennial Barossa Wine Auction – Live Auction and Lunch.
Presented by Barossa Grape & Wine Association and supported by Langton’s Fine Wines, the live auction hosted by Fabulous Ladies Wine Society founder Jane Thomson saw a total of 35 lots from Barossa’s most prestigious and renowned wineries auctioned by Langton’s Head of Auctions, Tamara Grischy and Baron of Barossa, Andrew Caillard MW.
Held over a three-course lunch, the 35 lots which included a number of highly-regarded and rare vertical collections set many records after sales to both local and absentee bidders. The cumulative total sales from the live auction equated to $243,901.00 inclusive of Buyer’s Premium, with a 100% clearance rate for the live auction. The average price per lot for the day was $6,775.00 – a new record for the event which was first held in 1965.
For the second time, wine lovers the world over could experience the electricity of a live auction with the Barossa Wine Auction live streamed globally through barossawine.com and @Barossawine Facebook live streaming page. These viewers included a group of wine investors watching from the Barossa Wine Auction satellite lunch in Angaston, tuning in to place their bids and watch the action unfold. With 350 people in the room and 40% of registered bidders were female, well above average participation rates in other auctions. Highlights from the auction include the sale of the Bin 60A Cabernet Shiraz 1962 750ml which sold at three times the estimated sale price achieving $21,552 (including buyer’s premium). The 6.0L Imperial bottle of Penfolds Grange Imperial Shiraz 2013, sold for $58,250 (including buyer’s premium) to a bidder in Barossa for the auction, from Beijing.
The Penfolds Bin 60A, a collectable must drink wine before you die, achieved a record price of ($18,500). We are over the moon to achieve a price like this and especially in the Barossa, Penfolds own backyard.
We are very excited for the bidder who won the 2013 Grange Imperial. As a wine it is rich and concentrated; as close to perfection as you can get. A great addition to any wine collectors’ cellar. – Andrew Baldwin, Penfolds Winemaker
Records set include:
•Langmeil Freedom Shiraz 12 Bottle Vertical Collection ‘The Best of the Best’ whichsold for three times its catalogue estimate at $6,291 (including buyer’s premium)
•Pewsey Vale The Contours Six Bottle Vertical Collection plus Contours Vineyard Tourwhich sold for $5,242 (including buyer’s premium) which equates to $874 per bottle,an Australian auction record for Riesling.
Langton’s Head of Auctions Tamara Grischy said of the auction; “What an extraordinary result. Barossa as a region again showed its strength in the secondary market to capture collectors’ interest and bidding activity from all around the world, delivering some spectacular price results. The great vibe in the room added to the excitement of the live auction which we so rarely do now.”
A total $12,000 of the net proceeds of the Barossa Wine Auction has been pledged to the event’s national charity partner, The McGrath Foundation. The remainder of the event’s charitable contributions will be distributed amongst the local community supporting the delivery of the Barossa Vintage Festival, and local charities: Foundation Barossa and Barossa Enterprises.
Of the philanthropic nature of the event, Barossa Grape & Wine Association CEO, James March said:
This year we are delighted to be working with the McGrath Foundation, a charity whose work has been tireless in helping to improve the lives of cancer sufferers and their families throughout the country, and in particular, in rural and regional areas. As we all know, this disease is willfully indiscriminate in its approach, and is no respecter of demographic, age or circumstance.
The Barossa Wine Auction – Online Auction, is still open for bidding via the Langton’s website until Sunday 5 May, 7pm, giving wine investors additional opportunities to purchase exclusive Barossa wine offers and experiences.
