Festive enjoyment, collector's passion, investment: Eppli offers coveted wines, champagnes and whiskies at auction

Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Mouton Rothschild, Ruinart, Bruno Giacosa – diese Namen stehen für edle Weine unvergleichlicher Qualität. Manche Jahrgänge dieser Tropfen werden unter Weinkennern als wahre Schätze gehandelt. Solche Besonderheiten – geprüft und bewertet vom Expertenteam um Master Sommelier Frank Kämmer – versteigert Eppli am 15. Dezember 2023 ab 13 Uhr im Rahmen der Auktion „Wein, Whisky & Spirituosen“ am Standort Leinfelden-Echterdingen. Auch auf außergewöhnliche Whiskys dürfen sich Sammlerinnen und Sammler freuen, darunter seltene Single Malts aus Schottland sowie Abfüllungen aus Japan.

The Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) once put it in a nutshell: "Wine is poetry in bottles." Some wines are particularly poetic, to stay with the metaphor. For example, the fine wines that will be auctioned off by Germany's largest auction house, Eppli, on December 15, 2023. Nine bottles of 2004 Château Lafite Rothschild, Premier Grand Cru Classé, with a starting price of 4,800 euros, are considered a special rarity. Nine bottles of the 1999 Château Mouton Rothschild will also be on offer, with a starting price of 3,400 euros. Another highlight for all wine connoisseurs is a bottle of Collina Rionda di Serralunga d'Alba "Riserva" from 1982, a Barolo from the Italian winery Bruno Giacosa in Piedmont, which starts at 1,900 euros.

Both wine estates - Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Mouton Rothschild - are among the Grand Cru Classé wine estates in Bordeaux, and therefore among the best in the world. "These are wineries that have been able to maintain consistently reliable world-class quality over many generations, even centuries," explains Master Sommelier Frank Kämmer, with whom Eppli has been working since September of this year and who complements the company's team of experts. "This continuity at the very highest level is unique."

Whiskies from Northern Europe and Asia

The whiskies also include "outstanding and fantastic" drops, says Eppli's whisky expert Michael Coppli. Whisky expert Michael Coils: The single malt Scotch whisky from 1979 from the Port Ellen distillery on Islay, matured for 24 years, with a starting price of 2,000 euros. Connoisseurs can also bid on Japanese whiskies. "Japanese whiskies are produced according to the Scottish model, using the same technology, traditional know-how and, in some cases, Scottish barley," explains Coils.

Eppli relies on a wide variety of sources for its wines and spirits: "Our sources are diverse. For example, collectors approach us to talk to like-minded people. We are also approached by insolvency administrators and wine merchants. Wines and spirits from estates are also regularly offered," says Romina Nawaz from the team of experts at Eppli.

Eppli uses the highest standards to evaluate the wines. The fact that a wine is old does not say much on its own. Kämmer explains how the team proceeds: "The first step is a general assessment of the commercial value." As top wines are traded worldwide, the approximate value can be estimated based on current and past market data as well as the current demand situation. The wine must be in demand. "Then there is the condition of the individual bottles. With older wines in particular, it is possible to deduce the previous storage conditions from various characteristics. This also has a significant influence on the estimated price."

Top gastronomy, wine and whisky connoisseurs, capital investment

Bidders from very different sectors are taking part in the special auction for wine, whisky and spirits. For example, haute cuisine restaurateurs want to offer their guests special wines, while wine lovers are looking forward to fine wines for Christmas and New Year's Eve. Vintage wines also make excellent Christmas presents and investments. Kämmer lists the criteria that make a wine a good investment: "Reputation, quality and vintage combined with limited availability and detailed knowledge of the international wine market and the demand situation."

Whisky expert Michael Coils gives auction participants some wise advice: "Basically, you should always have two bottles of the whiskies you buy at auction: one bottle for drinking and one as an investment."

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