Bottle of rare wine expected to fetch over £8k

A BOTTLE of one of the rarest red wines, costing £1,333 a glass, and which was forgotten about for 50 years in a cellar, is up for auction.

The 1961 Romanee Conti was one of only 600 bottles made at the Burgundy estate and is expected to go for £8,000.

But it could go for a lot more, as the most expensive wine ever sold at auction was also from the Romanee Conti estate.

The 1961 bottle was discovered tucked away in a corner by a man who was searching for an appropriate bottle to celebrate his diamond anniversary with his wife.

Thankfully, the couple did not drink the bottle, as they married in 1960.

The bottle was originally sold by Andre Noblet, head wine maker at Domaine Romanee Conti since 1948, to a French client in Lozere in Languedoc-roussillon in 1963.

It was then given as a gift to the current family shortly afterwards and then remained in their Wiltshire cellar ever since.

Dreweatts, who will offer the wine on April 29 at its Fine and Rare Wine and Spirits sale, said the bottle has “excellent provenance and was stored in perfect cellarage condition”.

Grand Crus are known for their longevity and it is not recommended to drink it before 10 years, so it is likely the rich flavour of the Pinot Noir grape is only expected to have been enriched over the decades.

Speaking of Romaneeconti, wine critic Clive Coates said it was “the scarcest, most expensive – and frequently the best – wine in the world.

“If you can lay your hands on a case you would have to pay £5,000 or more for a young vintage, double or triple for a wine in its prime.

“This is the purest, most aristocratic and most intense example of Pinot Noir you could possibly imagine.”