When it comes to rare wines, I am more curious than clued up. Still, one can easily see that the wines up for auction in Strauss & Co’s online auction in July are not only rare finds, but also perfect for wine collectors across the globe.
Strauss & Co Fine Wine Auctions has just unveiled six significant collections of the world’s greatest wines, that have also been minted as NFTs. These include Penfolds Grange, Domaine de La Romanée Conti, Château Mouton Rothchild, Château d’Yquem, Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estate, which will all be sold online in July 2023. Registration and bidding for the exciting online wine auction are now open on this link.
Roland Peens, Strauss & Co Wine’s fine wine specialist says: “Considering the size and depth of these impressive, unique collections and the critical need for authenticity, we saw the advantage of minting each wine as an NFT. We authenticated and photographed each bottle with the information now stored on the blockchain. This is a chance to buy a super rare collection or invest in an alternative asset. Fine wine has proven to be an uncorrelated long-term asset with low volatility and the NFTs add further security.”
Wines from the Coats Family Cellar
One could argue that the Coats Family Cellar is the most prestigious fine wine collection ever offered in South Africa. In fact, this cellar holds a sizable range of the world’s finest and most sought-after wines spanning more than 150 years.
As part of an extensive cellar, the Coats family collected the wines over many decades, importing them from Ireland into South Africa. This was done via a refrigerated container and all the wines have been cellared professionally ever since, which lead to each bottle still being in top condition.
“Mr Coats had a clear passion for Penfolds Grange and Mouton-Rothschild,” says Roland, “but there are few great wines from the 20th century that weren’t in the cellar. The d’Yquem lot is also expansive and very special.”
Affirming the wines’ quality, leading international fine wine expert, Michael Egan has authenticated each bottle with over 100 having been tasted!
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Wine NFTs
While this might be new to many (it sure is to me), non-fungible tokens are a highly efficient way to package a collection of wines for long-term aging or trading. How does it work? Well, a digital contract gets stored on the Polygon blockchain, with the NFT including all critical information. This includes the transaction details, provenance, the barcode, pictures, pricing, as well as sensorial and aging information. Furthermore, each bottle within the six NFTs is individually minted as an NFT. This allows for drinking or trading of single bottles.
Apparently, transacting on the Polygon blockchain is rather affordable and fast and it also consumes marginal energy.
All the wines up for sale are currently stored in Wine Cellar’s professional cellars. These Cape Town-based cellars are Africa’s largest fine wine cellars. If you purchase some of these fine wines on auction in July, professional, world-wide shipping can be arranged at minimal costs considering the wines’ high value. Payments can be made in AR, USD, GBP, BTC, ETH and stable coins.
Educate them about wine!
In addition, the Coats family has generously donated R4 million of their cellar to charity and wine education in Southern Africa. A portion of the NFT sale will go to SASA, the South African Sommelier Association. SASA is a registered NPO that educates South Africans on a culture of food and beverage service excellence.
Wines up for sale
You’re probably wondering which wines you will be able to purchase… Well, here are the fine wine auction lots:
Penfolds Grange
This lot is a grandeur selection of the first 58 years of Penfolds. The collection of 232 bottles includes the maiden 1951 vintage, as well as a signed 375ml bottle of the 1952 vintage. There are also 42 Magnums in the collection, which is said to be close to a complete vertical.
Château Mouton-Rothschild
With its unique artist labels, initially commissioned to unknown artist Phillippe Julian in 1945, these wines have become huge drawcards for fine wine collectors. This lot includes 176 bottles, with 33 double-magnums and a strong presence of the great 1982, 1986 and 2000 vintages.
Château d’Yquem
Showcased over 119 years, this lot of the world’s greatest sweet wine includes four bottles from the 19th century! Château d’Yquem is renowned for its aging ability and as it ages, it turns darker and more complex. The collection holds spectacular vintages from 2001, 1976, 1967, 1947, 1945, 1928 and 1899.
Domaine de La Romanée Conti
Minted into an NFT with 80 bottles from 1999 to 2015, this lot is yet another impressive offering. It includes red wines from their various vineyards, boasting 17 bottles of La Tâche and 2 bottles each of the 2009 and 2010 La Romanée Conti.
Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estate
Last, but not least, two American cult wine collections are also on offer as NFTs. Both these Cabernet Sauvignons are produced in limited amounts, leading to long waiting lists for these spectacular wines. In America, Screaming Eagle is the most expensive and exclusive wine, matching prices of Château Petrus. In addition, the Harlan Estate NFT features a bottle and magnum of the brand’s first commercial 1990 vintage, as well as 100 pointer vintages from 1997, 2002 and 2007.
For more information and the full list for this fine wine auction, visit www.straussart.co.za.
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