The oldest winery known and recorded to date was traced as far back as 6000 BC. While wine production and consumption continued through the centuries, it was never considered a fine beverage. There was even a time when only the poor enjoyed the drink. But when wine found its way to Europe, its image changed completely, becoming an expensive fine beverage that the elite and wealthy enjoy.
This particular image of wine lingers as the drink is deemed an alcoholic beverage for the upper class. Today, however, you can buy some bottles for less than $30. However, despite the relatively affordable price tags of most wines, some are still heavy on the pocket.
Let this article introduce you to some of the most expensive wines in the world right now:
Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 1992
Not all expensive wine bottles are aged for centuries with some sort of historical significance. The 1992 bottle of Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon is a young bottle that is just 24 years old. However, despite its age, the 6-liter bottle was sold in 2000 for a whopping $500,000 in Napa Valley through a charity auction.
1947 Cheval-Blanc
The 1947 French Cheval Blanc is the most expensive Merlot bottle and probably the priciest bottle ever sold that was outside of charity. It is among the two bottles of Merlot classified as Class A. It is because the grapes grown in 1947 from April through October were considered exceptional. A private wine collector bought the 69-year-old bottle for a staggering $304,375 in Geneva during an auction.
Shipwrecked 1907 Heidsieck
Ranking in the third spot as the most expensive wine in the world is a bottle of champagne discovered in a Swedish shipwreck. The bottle was priced at $275,000 when it was first found. There were 2,000 more bottles of champagne unearthed.
However, the history of the Swedish ship that was on its way to Russia that got struck by a German torpedo during the Second World War added more weight of importance and interest to this bottle.
Chateau Lafite’s 1869
Each bottle of this wine originally started with a bid of $60,000 in 1869. However, it quickly rose to $230,000 for a regular-sized bottle at Sotheby auction in Hong Kong in 2010. A collector spent a total of $690,000 for just three bottles of the rare vintage. The price is the highest that anyone has ever spent for regular-sized fine wine bottles.
Chateau Margaux 1787
An insurance company valued the bottle of 1787 Chateau Margaux, which was determined to have been a part of Thomas Jefferson’s wine collection. It was said that the wine was taken to a Four Season hotel and a waiter dropped it. No one has ever gotten the chance to taste the wine, but the insurance company spent a huge sum of $250,000.
These are only some of the most expensive wines in the world that are notable not only because of their taste but also of their rich and interesting history that date as far back as the early centuries.
