Exquisite Wine Guide

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Are you a wine connoisseur?

A wine lover is called an oenophile (a lover or connoisseur of wine) but you don't have to be a wine-maker or have a basement cellar in order to appreciate fine wine. The word wine has its root from the ancient Greek word for vines, vinos. Grapevines produces lush grapes which are then fermented to create the popular yet sophisticated alcoholic drink we know as wine. Expensive red wines with their complex subtleties are traditionally more costly than other expensive wines. Sometimes rare expensive wines are often the costliest item on the menu, and exceptional vintages from the best vineyards may sell for thousands of dollars per bottle.

Here are the most expensive wines in the world.

Shipwrecked 1907 Heidsieck  

 $275,000

These hundred year old bottles of Champagne from the Heidsieck vineyard in Champagne took over eighty years to reach their destination. Shipped to the Russian Imperial family in 1916, a shipwreck off the coast of Finland caused this champagne to be lost at sea until divers discovered over 200 bottles in 1997. Now they’re finally being sold to wealthy guests at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Moscow, at least. Of course, the wine’s extraordinary tale and incredible age are what makes it the world’s most expensive wine.

 Petrus Pomerol France   

 $252,522

Petrus is a Bordeaux wine estate located in the Pomerol appellation near its eastern border to Saint-Emilion. An estate of limited size, it produces a limited production red wine almost entirely from Merlot grapes, on occasion with small amounts of Cabernet Franc, and produces no second wine. The estate belongs to the family of the Libourne wine merchant JP Moueix. Although the wines of Pomerol have never been classified, Petrus is widely regarded as the outstanding wine of the appellation by consensus and leads a duo of Pomerol estates of extreme prices, along with Le Pin, that in the modern era are consistently among the world's most expensive wines

Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Romanee-Conti Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, France $167,471 

The wines are made by Bernard Noblet in succession to his father André Noblet. Whole clusters are used (no destemming) with a long vatting time avoiding excesses of heat. Yields are mind numbingly low and the winemaking is traditional and perfectionist. These are not merely among the most sumptuous wines of Burgundy but certainly the most stylish. Ancestor Jacques-Marie Duvault Blochet was an advocate of harvesting late in order to ensure optimum ripeness, a philosophy to which his descendants adhere today.

1787 Chateau Lafite$160,000

A bottle of 1787 Chateau Lafite which sold at Christi’s London in December of 1985, this wine was originally reported to be from the cellar of Thomas Jefferson, the former US President, and this most expensive bottle of wine had the initials Th.J etched into the glass bottle. It made its way into the hands of American tycoon Bill Koch, who became suspicious of the origins of the four bottles he had purchased. Eventually, he instigated the investigation that debunked the supposed origin of what was, at the time of purchase, the most expensive wine in the world.

Domaines Barons de Rothschild Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac, France$ 144,524 

The record price at auction for a bottle of wine ($156,000) was for a 1787 Chateau Lafite which was once thought to be owned by Thomas Jefferson. The authenticity of the bottle has been challenged, and the controversy, which is still unresolved, is explored in the 2008 book "The Billionaire's Vinegar", by Benjamin Wallace. Recently the 2008 vintage produced a world wide increase in price of over 125% in 6 months from release, which in turn has come to push some Asian countries to the top of the list of worldwide markets in which investment grade wine is purchased.

It may seem extreme to shell out as much money as some do, but there are many reasons someone might invest in a wine collection. It can be a quality investment as most wines increase in value with time. There is even a large crowd that considers wine an art form, and therefore buying a bottle means buying a piece of art. If you're solely interested in drinking your wine, there are still many factors that affect the cost.