A a full set of Penfolds Grange has just sold for a world record $294,320 at auction in South Australia. The winning bid broke the previous world record of $260,300 set in August.
The set comprises one bottle from every year since the first Grange vintage in 1951 to the most recent vintage of 2013, released this year and included a bottle from 1986 signed by winemaker Max Schubert.
Widely considered Australia’s greatest wine, Penfolds Grange is a significant collectors’ item for investors and wine buffs and even at the world-record price the set may prove a bargain — in 2004 a single bottle of the 1951 vintage reportedly sold for $50,000.
But while the 62 vintages of Grange averaged a heady $4747 a bottle you will probably never be lucky enough to try the Burgundy that just broke the record for the most expensive case of wine (12 bottles) ever sold at auction. A 1978 Romanée-Conti went for $633,901 in Hong Kong. That works out to an astounding $52,825 per bottle, or $8,804 per glass, at six glasses to the bottle.
Eat your heart out Penfolds!
Baileys of Glenrowan sold
Since it was founded in 1870 by the Bailey family the winery has changed hands on numerious occasions. Remember the great Bailey Black Label shiraz’s of the 1970’s
Ohhhh the memories!
Treasury Wine Estates has announced it has sold Baileys to the Casella Family Brands better known for it’s YellowTail brand.
Oh Dear!
The facts of drinking on board your aircraft
I recall many years ago flying to HongKong I sat beside James Halliday who only sipped champagne. I asked him why only champers and he explained that a wine mid-flight tastes different to being on the ground due to a number of factors. “I need to keep my palate in order” he added.
The vibrations of the plane and the pressurised cabin could both seriously alter the flavour of your wine mid flight.
According to Roy Moorfield the cabin atmosphere is about 40 per cent more dry in a good airline and it can be much more dryer in other airlines.
It dries out the follicles in your nose that goes to your olfactory gland and that’s where you get the sense of smell. And what you smell affects what you taste. Your nose isn’t as good as it could be on board; it’s not smelling as well as it could be and that affects the wine. It dulls it somewhat.
The cabin also emphasises bitterness of wine as well,
As well as the conditions inside the cabin, the micro-vibrations of the aircraft stresses wine and changes its flavour. Or more specifically disrupts the careful balance of acidity, tannins and fruit.
You don’t feel the vibrations in your seats because your seats are made to be comfortable, but when the plane vibrates it shakes up the wine.
And the wine has flavour molecules and those flavour molecules are either very tight and withstand it, or it pulls them apart slightly and the wine becomes quite dull. So you have the effect of the fruits being reduced and that exposes the acidity and the tannin.
Some varietals fare better than others. Have you ever noticed how often you’re offered chardonnay on a flight, this is why.
On the other hand pinot noir is very difficult, because it’s very fragile. And don’t be annoyed if your red is served cold on board. Red wines are loaded on the plane with the [refrigerated] white wines.
If you get a red wine and pour it in the glass and it’s too cold leave it for a few minutes because the planes atmosphere along with the temperature will warm up quite quickly. There is no point swilling your wine on a plane. Because the air is being exchanged so quickly (at least it is on a good airline) you just need to let it sit there and it’s done the job for you. Over-swilling fatigues the wine and causes it to taste flat.
Finally if you bring wine home in the hold it won’t taste the same as you raved about it at the overseas cellar door. However it will come right after 6 months or more if you let it sit.
Cheers!
