The Chinese market for wine has achieved a new level of sophistication and maturity which is evident from the amounts fetched by the wine auctions in the region. A three day sale held by Christie’s at Hong Kong last week saw a new record being created for the most expensive case of wine ever sold at auction. The Burgundy that holds the new prestigious record is a 1978 Romanée-Conti that fetched a whopping $476,280. With a dozen bottles in the case the cost per bottle works out to an astounding $39,690. If you ever get an opportunity to drink a glass of wine from the bottle it would be worth $6,615 as a bottle holds six glasses of wine.
DRC Cultivates its Vines Meticulously and Bio-Dynamically
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti have produced this case of the most expensive wine. They produce a range of wines and bottle approximately 7.000 cases in a year. They have a small Romanée-Conti vine which is marginally less than five acres. However it produces enogh for them to bottle around 5,000 bottles of the premium wine. The vine with the exclusive variety is meticulously cultivated. It is bio-dynamically farmed and plowed by horse. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti which is popularly known as DRC have many rare variety in their portfolio. They have mastered the ageing process and they give a lot of time, often measured in decades, to their produce to reach prime drinkability.
The Chinese Market Consumes 6% of the World Burgundy
DRC also holds the record for the most expensive bottle sold in the United States as its 1978 Montrachet had fetched as much as $23,000 for a bottle. The 1978 Romanée-Conti case was bought by an unidentified mainland China buyer last week. The Chinese market is witnessing a growing demand and importance for premium wines with the finest provenance. China is now the fastest growing market for wine and accounts for 6% of the world’s Burgundy which has risen rapidly from a mere 1% in 2007. The 1978 Romanée-Conti has been a favorite of wine experts who describe it as a sweet, rich and fragrant wine which is a pure expression of refined Point Noir. The wine with a modest alcoholic content of 13% boasts of a touch of sprightliness and a refreshing finish.
