Italy, France, Spain, the United States, and Australia are the world’s largest wine producers. In this post, we’ll tell you the top 10 most expensive wines in the world.
The most expensive wines in the world are those that have a story behind them that attracts the interest of oenophiles. These wines can cost as much as $558, 000, an amount sufficient to build a house. To learn more about the most expensive wines in the world, read the post.
The most expensive wines in the world are becoming increasingly expensive, making them a great investment for parties and dinners. To purchase one bottle, you’ll need at least $156, 000. Wine is magical and can be a good investment, as the cost of the most expensive wines continues to rise.
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Top 10 Most Expensive Wines in the World
Here’s the list of the top 10 most expensive wines in the world. The list and figures mentioned below are compiled from various sources around the web, such as Beautiful Life & Finances Online.
- 1945 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti- $558, 000
- Screaming Eagle Cabernet 1992 – $500,000
- Jeroboam of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 1945 – $310,000
- Cheval Blanc 1947 – $305,000
- Shipwrecked 1907 Heidsieck – $275,000
- Chateau Lafite 1869 – $230,000
- Chateau Margaux 1787 – $225,000
- 1990 Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru
- Ampoule from Penfolds – $168,000
- Henri Jayer, Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux 1999 — $136,955
- Cheval Blanc St-Emilion 1947 – $135,125
1. 1945 Domaine De La Romanée-Conti Grand Cru – $558,000: World’s Most Expensive Wine
1945 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti Grand Cru is the most expensive wine ever in the world. It was purchased by an Asian collector for a staggering $558, 000 to the amazement of onlookers at Sotheby’s sale in New York on 13 October 2018. This 750 ml vintage wine is produced from a fabled vineyard.
Only 600 bottles of this wine were produced and most of them are no longer on sale, maybe only a few bottles might still be found around in museums. What could make a man ditch half a million dollars for just a 750 ml bottle of vintage wine? The answer is very simple: the love for wine!
2. Screaming Eagle Cabernet 1992 – $500,000
Screaming Eagle Carbernet 1992 is the second most expensive wine in the world. This small vintage wine is limited in supply and this possibly explains why it is so expensive.
Screaming Eagle Carbernet 1992 is not only one of the most expensive wines in the world, but it is also the most sought-after wine in the world. It is produced by Nepa Valley in limited supply, with only about 500 to 850 cases produced a year.
This limited supply leaves wine lovers waiting for years on lists, scrubbing the Internet, and traveling to auctions for the chance to get a sip of some of these fantastic, and extremely pricey, bottles.
Screaming Eagle Carbernet 1992 holds the record as the second most expensive bottle of wine ever sold. it was auctioned at a staggering price of $500, 000. I bet you didn’t believe your eyes but that’s the price the second most expensive wine was sold for.
3. Jeroboam of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 1945 – $310,000
Jeroboam of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 1945 is one of the most costly wines in the world. This red wine is produced in Bordeaux, France. This wine is also considered one of the best wines produced in the last 100 years.
4. Cheval Blanc 1947 – $305,000
1947 Château Cheval Blanc is generally Bordeaux’s signature wine. It takes the number four spot on our list. Chateau Cheval Blanc is well regarded as one of the most prestigious winemakers in the world!
This wine is reputed to have a combination of apparently opposing qualities. The wine combines high alcohol content, sweetness, and high acidity in a way that is somehow a delight to the palate
it was sold at auction to an anonymous buyer for a whopping sum of $303,375.
5. 1907 Heidsieck – $275,000
Whereas the high cost of the wines mentioned above is attributed to their limited production, the price of Heidsieck wine was largely based on the sad story behind it.
The wine was originally intended to be delivered to Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia in 1916. Over 2,000 bottles of this wine were ship-bound for Russia for this purpose. Unfortunately, while shipping, the boat sank and the wine sat at the bottom of the sea for over 8 decades, away from the natural light.
The ship wreckage was discovered in 1997 and intact bottles of Heidsieck wine were found at freezing temperatures. However, only 1,000 bottles of the wine were drinkable. The cold temperature at the bottom of the sea, and the absence of natural light preserved the wines from wine cellars.
A bottle of this wine was then sold for $275,000, making it one of the most expensive wines in history.
6. Chateau Lafite 1869
Château Lafite Rothschild is a wine estate in France and is reputed for producing some of the most valuable wine red wines. Across all vintages, Lafite Rothschild is one of the most expensive red wines in the world.
When three bottles of Chateau Lafite went up for auction in Hong Kong, the sellers were expecting nothing more than $8,000. A great surprise greeted their faces when an anonymous buyer from Asia bid $230,000 for each of the three bottles of Château Lafite at the auction.
7. Chateau Margaux
This was another collection from Jefferson. This bottle of wine is one of the most expensive wines sold but unfortunately, was never drank. Did you hear that? A huge sum was spent to acquire a bottle of wine but was never drunk. Now, here’s the story.
Thomas Jefferson was serving as an ambassador to France. Because he was an oenophile, Jefferson often bought bottles of wine from Bordeaux and Burgundy. He bought a bottle of Chateau Margaux 1787 from William Sorokin for $225, 000 and took it to Margaux’s dinner at Four Season Hotel.
Accidentally, a waiter collided against him and had the bottle shattered and the drink spilled away.
Although the insurance company paid him the $225, 000, it would remain an unforgettable experience for Jefferson that he bought a bottle of wine worth that amount but couldn’t taste it.
8. 1990 DOMAINE LEROY MUSIGNY GRAND CRU – $224,000
1990 Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru is magic with layered minerality. The cost of this wine is really worth every drop.
1990 Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru is one of Domaine Leroy’s signature wines.Each of Domaine Leroy’s wines has a unique character as a result of the owner’s aim to bring out the true ‘voice’ of the terroir in which they originate. Domaine Leroy produces a rich, concentrated wine with a reasonably high natural alcohol content.
This rich and powerful wine with explosive black cherry flavours and florals is a world-beater.
A bottle of this wine is priced at $224, 000. It is one of the highest-priced red wines in the world.
9. Penfolds’ Ampoule – $168,000
Ampoule from Penfolds is an exquisite wine from the Australian Penfolds Winery. Penfold is Australia’s most established winemaker, producing some of Australia’s finest – and most expensive – wines.
This wine is a rare wine of its kind with a truly distinctive format. It is a testament to a compelling work of wine art. Ampoule provides a truly memorable experiential and sensory engagement.
Penfolds’ most expensive wine ever ampoule is a combination of the art of winemaking, the scientific precision of wine preservation, tactical packaging as well as an exceptional dose of fine metalwork.
Each bottle of Penfolds’ 750 ml ampoule wine costs $168,000, making it one of the world’s most expensive wines. The price was set to reflect the 168 years that Penfolds has been producing wine
10. Chateau Lafite 1787— $156, 000
Chateau Lafite 1787 is dubbed the billionaire’s vinegar. A bottle of this wine was claimed to be owned by Thomas Jefferson and was auctioned for $156, 000 in 1985. It was bought by the publisher, Malcolm Forbes
When Thomas Jefferson was ambassador to France, he spent much of his time visiting the vineyards of Bordeaux and Burgundy, buying wine for his own collection and on behalf of his friends back home. He is also associated with two other bottles of very expensive wines, a 1775 Sherry ($43,500) and the most expensive white wine ever sold, a 1787 Chateau d’Yquem ($56,588).
With the cost of $156, 000, Chateau Lafite 1787 completes our list of the top 10 most expensive wines in the world
We hope it was worth the read!
