Century old champagne recovered from a shipwreck sells at auction in New Zealand
October is proving to be an auspicious month for securing rare treasures. A slice of history was on offer in The Wine
Auction Room’s October Sale on Tuesday night. After more than 80 years undisturbed at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, this
1907 Heidsieck & Co Monopole Goût Americain Champagne was recovered from the wreck of the Jönköping in 1997. This bottle was one of the
twenty-four bottles originally sold by Christie’s (London) in October 1998. Bottle # 1392 complete with Certificate of
Genuineness.
Heidsieck Monopole Gout American 1907 is the world’s most expensive champagne. Or so it is often touted. Well, that
really depends on where you buy it. And, yes, it is still available, though in tiny quantities and rarely seen. This is
why The Wine Auction Room received interest from around the world when they offered bottle #1392 for sale, but luckily a
buyer in New Zealand was the successful bidder. In response to the sale, Reece Warren, auctioneer and owner of the Wine
Auction Room stated “Auctions are a great way for people to secure hard-to-get wines, but the provenance of this
Champagne really did demonstrate how hard-to-get some wines are. Both our vendor and successful bidder are thrilled and
we’re chuffed to keep a slice of international history here in Aotearoa.”
This rare wine has the hallmarks for the most entertaining conversation– afterall it’s not every day that you can see a
century old champagne recovered from a shipwreck in a dramatic salvage last millennium.
The Wine Auction Room specialises in curated auctions for rare and fine wines and spirits. They also offer private
vaulted climate controlled storage in central Auckland along with services such as cellar valuations and advisory.
wineauctionroom.com