Acker Merrall Announces Fall 2011 Auction Schedule
Season’s Highlight to be Unprecedented Hong Kong Burgundy Sale with Potential of HK$100,000,000
NEW YORK--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Acker Merrall & Condit, the world’s premier wine auction house and America’s oldest fine wine merchant, today announced its schedule and auction highlights for Fall 2011.
“The first half of 2011 has marked another record year for us with Acker again atop the market, posting six-month sales of nearly US$55 million, even surpassing our record-setting results of 2010. This cements our position as the leader in international fine and rare wine”
“The first half of 2011 has marked another record year for us with Acker again atop the market, posting six-month sales of nearly US$55 million, even surpassing our record-setting results of 2010. This cements our position as the leader in international fine and rare wine,” said John Kapon, CEO of Acker Merrall & Condit Companies. “As the interest and appreciation of rare and fine wine continues to escalate, we remain committed to bringing the world’s best and most extraordinary wine cellars to our auctions. And our schedule for the second half of the year promises to be even more exciting than the first.”
Auctions in New York (September 10th at Marea) and Hong Kong (September 16th-17th at the Grand Hyatt) will represent a cumulative total of nearly US$15 million of the world’s finest and rarest wines. Over $1 million of Lafite Rothschild will be available at each auction, solidifying Lafite as the world’s top brand at the moment, with Domaine de la Romanee Conti a not-so-distant second. While Lafite will hold six out of the New York sale’s seven top lots, DRC will hold all top seven lots in HK, including the month’s star lot, an original wooden case of the fabled 1990 Romanee Conti with an estimate of US$150,000-200,000.
Burgundy is certainly rarer than Bordeaux, and the incredible vineyard of Romanee-Conti, made exclusively by Domaine de la Romanee Conti, will also have the month’s seven highest-valued lots, despite there being more Lafite overall available. Jayer and Petrus are the only other brands to crack either sale’s top ten lots.
In addition, this Fall Acker will launch its inaugural Chicago auction on October 22 at the Trump International Hotel. While too soon to list particulars about the auction in full, several of the Midwest’s top collections have come out of the woodwork to show that Chicago is Acker’s kind of town. “There are few cities in the world that have the energy and commitment to wine to support and sustain a wine auction, and Chicago is certainly one of them. The Midwest has long been an outstanding source for some of America’s greatest collections, and that’s why we’re there,” noted Kapon.
While Bordeaux may dominate the business of the wine auction market, many argue that Burgundy dominates the pleasure, and it is Burgundy that will steal the Fall spotlight thanks to the extraordinary and legendary collection of Don Stott, the world’s foremost collector of Burgundy of our modern-day era. “Don is without question the greatest collector of Burgundy that I have ever known. His cellar is literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire the finest and rarest Burgundies available – period.” Well, make it twice, as Don’s collection will be on display both October 29th in New York, and November 4th-5th in Hong Kong.
New York’s October sale will take place at Restaurant Daniel, marking Acker’s first auction at the first destination in the culinary mecca of New York. “I always dine at Daniel for the most special of occasions, and Don’s auction will be one of them.” All eyes will be on Hong Kong for a mega-event the first week of November, where some of Burgundy’s elite winemakers and proprietaires will be there personally to celebrate Don’s Fete de Bourgogne, including Veronique Drouhin, Jeremy Seysses of Domaine Dujac, Pierre Henri-Gagey of Louis Jadot, Louis-Michel Liger-Belair, Eric Rousseau, Sylvian Pithot of Clos du Tart, Francois Labet of Chateau de la Tour will be on hand to let Hong Kong know that Burgundy has something to say when it comes to the world’s finest wines.
Additional live auctions will be held in New York on November 19th and December 17th, while Hong Kong will hold one more auction on December 9th and 10th. Wines for all of those auctions will be accepted through the end of September. The September auctions are currently searchable and biddable at www.ackerauctions.com.
About Acker Merrall & Condit
Founded in 1820, Acker Merrall & Condit is America’s oldest fine wine merchant and the world’s largest fine and rare wine auction house. With affiliates in New York and Hong Kong, Acker Merrall hosts over two dozen live and internet auctions annually, and conducts retail operations from its historic headquarters on New York’s Upper West Side as well as in Asia. Acker is devoted to helping customers buy, sell and experience the world’s foremost wines.