Our August Online Fine Wine Auction is now OPEN !
Our commercial online fine wine auction is now open for
bidding and will conclude shortly on the 21st of August. We have many
very interesting wines on offer including a range of Penfolds Grange
from the 1960's and 1970's plus some very unique bottles signed by Max
Schubert.
There is no charge for becoming a member and placing bids in any of
our online wine auctions (A buyers commission of 10% is charged on the
hammer price of all successful bids except for charity lots). Members are the first to know as
soon as any wine auctions list online. Register now as a member
online:
REGISTER »
We also ship auction winnings overseas at
reasonable rates.
A catalogue of the current auction in a choice of different
document formats can be downloaded using the links below. Simply right
click on the link and select save-as from the menu that pops up;
 Wickman's
Guaranteed Provenance
We grade each lot on our ability to determine how well a wine has
been handled prior to our wine auction.
More information
» |
Online
Wine Auction Results
24th
July
A vibrant end to our July sale saw eager bidders
competing for the few lots of Bordeaux on offer with 99% of them
selling within their estimated price range and bidders from Europe
driving up the price in the final hours. Penfolds Grange, 707 and
Henschke Hill of Grace saw spirited bidding by trade and private
collectors alike from all across Australia. A rare collection of
Penfolds Grange vintages from 1951 to 2002 was the highlight of this
auction, selling after auction to a private collector in South
Australia for $150,000 plus premium. Although not a record for a
collection of this nature, it was still a very good price
considering the current economic downturn.
Prices realised at Wickman's in recent months for Penfolds Grange;
| Vintage |
Price |
Auction |
| Penfolds Grange Collection (1951 - 2002) |
$150,000 |
Jul-08 |
| 1973 Penfolds Grange |
$350 |
Feb-08 |
| 1974 Penfolds Grange |
$350 |
May-08 |
| 1975 Penfolds Grange |
$296 |
Jul-08 |
| 1977 Penfolds Grange |
$300 |
Feb-08 |
| 1980 Penfolds Grange |
$235 |
Jul-08 |
| 1981 Penfolds Grange |
$300 |
Mar-08 |
| 1982 Penfolds Grange |
$300 |
Mar-08 |
| 1984 Penfolds Grange |
$300 |
Mar-08 |
| 1985 Penfolds Grange |
$290 |
Feb-08 |
| 1986 Penfolds Grange |
$425 |
Jul-08 |
| 1987 Penfolds Grange |
$246 |
Jul-08 |
| 1988 Penfolds Grange |
$281 |
Jul-08 |
| 1989 Penfolds Grange |
$230 |
Jul-08 |
| 1990 Penfolds Grange |
$466 |
Jul-08 |
| 1991 Penfolds Grange |
$322 |
Jul-08 |
| 1992 Penfolds Grange |
$260 |
Jul-08 |
| 1993 Penfolds Grange |
$265 |
Jul-08 |
| 1994 Penfolds Grange |
$265 |
Jul-08 |
| 1995 Penfolds Grange |
$265 |
Jul-08 |
| 1996 Penfolds Grange |
$350 |
Jul-08 |
| 1997 Penfolds Grange |
$282 |
Jul-08 |
| 1998 Penfolds Grange |
$490 |
Jul-08 |
| 1999 Penfolds Grange |
$292 |
Jul-08 |
| 2000 Penfolds Grange |
$380 |
May-08 |
| 2001 Penfolds Grange |
$400 |
Apr-08 |
| 2002 Penfolds Grange |
$400 |
May-08 |
27th
May and 26th June 2008
As we approached the end of the financial year we saw a
slowing down of bidding and prices paid for many of the wines on
offer. The expected peak for many of our premium Australian iconic
wines has, I believe, been tested and found wanting with lower
prices than expected being the support level for many. On the other
hand many other premium wines have seen an increase in demand and
price where they have been treading water until now.
29th April 2008
Whilst clearance rates for our April auction were down by
about 10% on the same time last year, the shift towards quality
wines at higher prices means that the values achieved are up by
almost 25% for the same volume sold. Glaetzer, Hardy's, Wolf Blass
and Torbreck appeared as the flavour of the month in heated bidding
between Australian buyers with Western Australia and South Australia
slugging it out for pole position in the bidding stakes. Penfolds
Grange continues to be snapped up by buyers from Australia and Asia,
with the majority destined for consumption rather than investment.
As the available quantity is consumed, buyers are anxious to pay
higher premiums to secure their stock. Sellers should beware of
holding out for too long however, as supply decreases, consumers and
buyers tend to shift their focus to other, more readily available
wines, and the price can stabilise or even drop.
27th March 2008
Another excellent auction with high clearances on most
iconic Australian wines (Penfolds, Jim Barry, Rockford, Wendouree)
and a little increase in the cult wines (Noons, Greenock Creek) as
well. The secondary fine wine market continues to show signs that we
are entering a new phase of investment fever. With the turmoil over
recent months in the worlds financial markets showing no signs of
abating there are a lot of people waving the "alternative
investment" banner and fine wines inevitably falls under this
heading; with prices being realised for Penfolds Grange trending
upwards with noticeable demand being placed on those vintages with
smaller production figures rather than noted quality.
28th February 2008
The market in fine wine has certainly turned around over
the last few months. What was once popular (Noons, Torbreck,
Greenock Creek) has slipped from buyers radar screens and our local
icons such as Penfolds Grange, Penfolds 707, early Seppelts Para
ports, Rockford Basket Press, D'Arenberg etc. have rallied and are
commanding excellent prices compared to the same time a year ago.
31st
January 2008
Just before the closing a a huge surge in bidding cleared
most of the wines for this first wine auction of the year. Seppelts
Para Ports are making a comeback with record prices being paid for
pre-50's bottles. Whilst most bidders were from Australia, a larger
than normal percentage of bidding came from Europe, Asia and the
USA, with D'Arenberg, Wendouree and Rockford being in favour.
7th
November & 4th December 2007
A drop in clearance rates as we neared the end of the
year, although many record prices were again paid for quality wines of
proven provenance in both of the remaining auctions for 2007. Large
formats were achieving well above their previously estimated high
range with a lot of active bidding and most Penfolds wines achieved
the higher end of their estimated range.
9th October 2007
Although many excellent prices (in some cases record
values) were achieved for many of the wines, the volume of wine
cleared from the catalogue was significantly down compared to the
last few months. Quality rather than quantity appeared to be the
order of the day with the most significant and heated bidding
occurring over the lots with Guaranteed Provenance,
with more and more buyers eager to pay a premium for wine that has
been correctly cellared.
18th September 2007
The best clearance rates so far this year and a mixed bag
of results. A very rare 1962 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Romanee
Conti went for an absolute steal at $2,500 while a couple of bottles
of 1982 Cheval Blanc were bid up to $1,100 each and a bottle of 1976
Chateau Latour was knocked up to $225. On the domestic scene a
bottle of 1965 Penfolds Grange was snapped up for $350, numerous
vintages of Rockford basket press are attracting $100+, magnums from
most classic and cult wineries seem to be the flavour of the month
and a bottle of 1996 Jim Barry The Armagh went for an unbelievable
$109.
22nd August 2007
Another auction ending with great clearance rates with
most of the bidding activity occurring on the closing day of the
auction with frantic bids being placed in the last few hours, seeing
some record prices being paid for a number of classic and cult
wines.
31st July 2007
An excellent auction with the best clearance rates so far
this year, with the next few months looking to be even better. There
was a lot of active and competitive bidding for many of the
favourites, classics and cults with an increasingly rare bottle of
1962 Penfolds Bin 60a selling for over $3000, a bottle of 1992
Chateau Mouton-Rothschild knocked down to over $990, 1993 Petrus at
the bargain price of over $750, 1995 Duck Muck selling for just
under $300 and Penfolds Grange of various vintages fetching in the
mid-range of the prices estimated. Thanks to the generous support of
a number of Barossa wineries and the dedication of some local
businesses we auctioned off a number of donated wines and raised
over $1350 for a couple of sight impaired local lads - Thank you so
much to all those wonderful bidders who helped raise this money.
27th
June 2007
Quite a sluggish end of financial year auction, with
below average clearance rates, possibly attributed to the massive
amount of wine released from the failed Heritage investment fund
absorbing large amounts of buyers funds.
29th May 2007
A reasonable auction with good overall clearance rates
but with the market showing caution and restraint.
30th April 2007
A very slow auction with only moderate clearance rates,
although very good prices were achieved for a those wines that were
on offer.
27th
March 2007
A good auction with a very good clearance rate and some
excellent prices realised for many of the wines on offer.
28th
February 2007
I should get around to posting results from the second
half of last year and the opening of this year sometime this century.
31st
January 2007
To be announced. (This was a very good auction with
excellent clearances).
1st
December 2006
To be announced.
2nd
November 2006
To be announced.
5th
October 2006
To be announced.
8th
August 2006
To be announced.
20th
June 2006
At the request of vendors, Wickman's launched a surprise,
end of financial year wine auction. Many vendors have been clearly
concerned with the fall in price of fine wine on the secondary market
and the glut of wine at the mid to lower end that keeps soaking up
cash from the higher price points. Vendors all around Australia
recently requested extra wine auctions to be held so as to be able to
shift their wine in advance of the flood that is now hitting the
secondary wine market and before the end of the financial year.
Vendors holding on to large stocks of wine that they had purchased
with a view to making a profit are clearly concerned that they will be
left holding wine that will be worth a tiny fraction of what they paid
for it and are trying to cut their losses now.
Wickman's June wine auction provided a fitting end to a successful
financial year for our vendors, with most happily clearing the
majority of their holdings, even though the prices they realised were
not as high as they may have originally anticipated. Most vendors
appeared pleased to divest themselves of excess stock while buyers
were delighted to get quality wine at bargain prices, confident in the
provenance of the wine they were buying. Since introducing the
provenance rating system in 2005, Wickmans have noted that wines which
have been rated as guaranteed provenance have cleared at a higher rate
with significantly higher premiums being paid for the assurance of
wine that has a guaranteed purchase and storage history. Vendors that
were disappointed at their clearance rate were those that, against
Wickman’s recommendations, set higher reserves for their wine than the
market was willing to bear.
Wines that attracted serious attention from buoyant buyers were 2002
Jim Barry The Armargh which has been very popular all year, reaching a
high of $273 per bottle in February and now settling down to the $150
mark in June, while 1994 Woodstock The Stocks was extremely popular,
with a number of experienced enthusiasts setting their sights on this
wine and happily outbidding each other right up until the last second
of the wine auction closing.
Other popular wines that bidders picked up for a bargain were 1999
Penfolds Magill estate for $46, 1999 Penfolds RWT at $79, 1998
Torbreck the Factor knocked down to $95, 1993 Lindemans St George
Cabernet at $25, a magnum of 1998 Hardy's Eileen Hardy shiraz at $126,
1994 Greenock Creek seven acre to $54, 2004 Noon reserve shiraz $81
and 1995 Penfolds bin 389 at $35.
Our first back vintage tasting event of the year to evaluate back
vintage wines was a very pleasant success. Wickman’s in conjunction
with Oliver's Taranga wines held a vertical tasting of 10 vintages of
their Shiraz and 4 of their award winning HJ reserve shiraz (the 2000
HJ reserve winning the Winestate wine of the year award). In
attendance was winemaker Corrina Rayment who led all participants
through a thoroughly enjoyable history of the wine she has made. All
wines from 1994 to present day barrel samples were evaluated and
tasting notes and impressions can be found on the Wickman’s website.
Anyone wishing to participate in our back vintage tastings should
sign up as a member of the wine auction site
to receive future notification of events. Tasting notes for the wines
can be seen
here
»
Wine auctions for the remainder of 2006 will be held at approximately
one month intervals.
16th
May & 16th February 2006
I will be posting the results from these two wine
auctions sometime in the near future (when I find a bit of spare
time).
General
wine auction results for 2005 and outlook for 2006
The fine wine market in the latter half of 2005 was looking
a bit slow with collectors and consumers alike starting to apply the
brakes on wine purchases even although the general economic outlook
touted by the majority of the press was for optimism and growth.
However, buyers of luxury goods, such as wine, are being cautious,
making more informed decisions, they are also prepared to wait, no
longer in a hurry to engage in battle for limited stockpiles of their
most precious producers. The simple fact is that, now more than ever,
there is a lot of quality wine in the marketplace at excellent prices
with the trend for new releases being pushed towards quantity, better
quality and lower prices.
Members bidding in our two wine auctions during the latter half of 2005
tended to throw their support behind cabernet and blends and larger
format bottles and although they were ultimately spurned, possibly in
reaction to a number of negative tasting reports filtering into blog-space
and internet forums, characteristic of the September and October
wine auctions for 2005, was the tremendous interest shown in the Rockford
basket press, Kalleske and the various Greenock creek shiraz's but
without the commitment from the members to pony up for the reserves
being asked by the vendors.
However, the single vineyard wines of both Rockford and Kalleske
continue to fetch well above their release prices with the 1998
Rockford SVS pressings for $161,the Australian wine auction debut of the
1999 Rockford Helbig and Shiraz Pressings dropped at $151 and $140
respectively and the 2003 Kalleske Johann Georg fetching $161. Other
performers were the 1998 Penfolds bin 707 for $128, 1996 Penfolds St.
Henri for $81 and some bargains were swooped upon with $112 being paid
for a 2001 Kaesler Old Bastard and cases of 1996 Hardy's Eileen Hardy
almost overlooked at $45 per bottle.
During 2005 Wickman's, with the generous support of the wine industry,
continued to raise money for various charities including The Asian
Tsunami Appeal, the Eyre Peninsula Fire appeal and the Women and
Children’s hospital fund and hope to support even more causes in 2006
by giving as much back to the community as we can in which ever ways
we can manage.
Additionally, 2005 saw Wickman's introduce a guaranteed provenance
grading system on all lots to empower members with the knowledge of
the wines purchasing history as well as how it has been stored,
invaluable information for commercial wine buyers and collectors
alike.
As a bit of fun for active members and as a means of getting wine
product samples to a highly focused target audience on behalf of
wineries, we introduced, what turned out to be, a very popular bidding
contest into each wine auction, with each winning bidder going into a draw
at the end of the wine auction and receiving one entry for each bid they
made with fantastic prizes sponsored by Auswine.com, Bordex wine
racks, Kalleske, Wolf Blass, Winefront Monthly, Marius Wines, De
Bortoli and WineIndustryJobs.com.
The outlook for 2006, whilst not bleak should be cautious and I
think that the first half will open with potential, with analysts and
media predicting growth and encouraging consumers to spend, however,
statistics on some growth forecasts from the USA may indicate the
USA's foundation for spending (the recent housing boom) is faltering,
which could have a knock-on affect through the Chinese economy
(already in a production surplus) which in turn may affect the
Australian resource boom which will prune off some the excess growth
in our local economy, slowing down consumer spending even more.
28th June 2005
The Australian financial year ended on a positive note
for the June 28th fine wine auction when a late rally across the board
flared into some rather heated bidding wars, resulting in nearly a 90%
overall clearance rate. A number of smaller investment buyers built up
support in numerous classics and some of the cult brands popular in
the States, no doubt suspecting that the US exchange rate is about to
move in their favour by the end of the year, renewing upward price
pressure on these wines from across the ocean. Although this is a good
possibility, it could be a dangerous assumption to make just now, and
it would be a good time to exercise caution with a market becoming
more volatile and numerous accounts of good quality wine being dumped
onto the market.
This wine auction was our third this year featuring the new charity
section. On offer this time were a number of parcels of Pennyfield
wine that were specifically made for the Women and Children's Hospital
Fund. The wine was tested fit for human consumption and given the
thumbs up by wine scribe Ric Einstein of Torbwine fame, but
unfortunately the wine didn't make it into the hearts and minds of
bidders and ended up with only 3 dozen going under the hammer.
Kalleske wines managed to keep up their popularity with the debut of
the very rare 2003 Johann Georg Shiraz emerging at $162, various lots
of 2002 and 2003 shiraz down to $70. A very rare mixed lot of Hazyblur
wines closed out at the bargain price of $36, while quite a few
parcels of Greenock Creek Roennfeldt Road Shiraz featured in some
heavy bidding between local and overseas buyers with the 1999 closing
at $197 whilst the magnificent 1998 vintage, closed at a bargain price
of $310. Bidding wars flared up at the last moment on 1996 Penfolds St
Henri ($71), 1996 Peter Lehmann Mentor ($40) and 1998 Highbank Basket
Pressed Cabernets ($45). Whilst 2002 Seppelts St Peters dropped to
$71, 1997 Rosemount Estate Balmoral finished $32 and 1998 Penfolds Bin
389 Cabernet Shiraz closed at $40. Amongst the cult wines Kaesler
continued its run of popularity with 2002 The Bogan Shiraz finishing
quite well up at $86 and 2002 The Stonehorse up to $39. Noons 2002
Reserve Shiraz finished the evening holding out on $137.
Although closing at the vendors requested reserve there was
lack-lustre interest shown from buyers for 1996 E&E Black Pepper
Shiraz, 2002 Massena the 11th Hour shiraz and some mixed lots of
Penfolds and Dutschke fortifieds, resulting in some buyers getting
some unexpected bargains.
A number of lots of Wendouree, 1998 Rockford Basket Press, 1998
Rockford SVS, 1996 Galah Shiraz, 2003 Kalleske Old Vine Grenache and
Glaymond wines attracted alot of potential buyer interest but the
vendors had set too high reserves and bidders did not materialise.
14th April 2005
Genuine collectors and drinkers are certainly getting
some bargains at auction these days, whilst flippers and those who
were buying and selling wine for a quick profit have disappeared.
There are still many wine investors in the market but they tend to be
cherry picking the bargains and waiting patiently for the market to
turn.
Many of the cult wines that commanded high prices quite recently are
now out of favour on the secondary market and its quite telling that
those who still command a premium are those that have done well with
local wine critics and who have continued to support a solid
foundation of Aussie drinkers rather than search overseas for a quick
dollar.
For the second time this year we featured a charity category amongst
our regular commercial lots, with all money raised donated equally
between the World Vision Child Rescue Appeal and the Women's and
Children's Hospital Foundation. The charity lots were very generously
donated by Jeremy Oliver's Onwine website, Cullen Wines, Whistler
Wines, Ross Estate, Liebichwein, Seppelts and Massena wines. All of
the charity lots started with an opening bid of $1, no reserve and no
commission and were the subject of very competitive bidding.
Our commercial lots were very popular, although most lots were not
highly contested with many bidders walking away with bargains. A
number of bottles of 1996 Penfolds Grange went for $266 each, 2001
Dutschke Oscar Semmler had many interested buyers but eventually
closed at the bargain price of $36 each, 2002 Kalleske Shiraz is still
hot, up $5 to $80 per bottle with the 2003 not far behind. A bottle of
the superb 1994 Baileys 1920 Block shiraz fell for $29 whilst the ever
popular 1996 Penfolds St. Henri was hotly contested at $53. 1994
Henschke Hill of Grace found a home at $211, 2002 Kaesler The Bogan
lost it for $79 and number of lots of 2002 Massena the Eleventh Hour
laid it down to $41 per bottle.
10th February 2005
When the virtual gavel dropped on the last lot for our
February 2005 online wine auction, it was more apparent than ever that
the market was soft at the lower end of any suggested price range with
increasing pressure on sellers to opt for lower reserves.
With a spiralling exchange rate, making Australian wine less attractive
to overseas buyers who are influenced by the remarks of wine critic
Robert Parker, and the heat taken out of the wine investment segment
of the market, both inter-related events, there was little upward
pressure on prices with many buyers who were prepared to pay large
premiums only a year or so ago for cult wines, now holding off,
developing a wait and see approach.
Prices appear to be in flux and trending towards the lower end of any
anticipated price range while
buyers find other, more tangible and domestic means, to evaluate a
wine. Online, buyers are turning to large, Australian online wine
communities who share tasting notes and critiques amongst themselves
such as the Auswine
discussion forum. As well as publishing the remarks of general
wine consumers, the discussion boards host published results from
organized tasting panels of wine enthusiasts/consumers such as the
Adelaide Blacktongues who meet on a regular basis and taste blindly
through a range of aged and recent release wines.
This wine auction saw a number of wines stand out amongst Australian
bidders with Penfolds, Rockfords and Henschke being the most sought
after lots. A 1961 Yalumba Galway Claret went for $62, a bottle of
1986 Penfolds 389 fetched $97 whilst a Magnum of the 1998 vintage went
for $150, bottles of 2002 D'Arenberg The Dead Arm were being knocked
out at the bargain price of $48 and 1998 Henschke Hill of Grace were
going to low bids of $220.
Wickman's recently launched a new charity wine category for regular
inclusion in its commercial online wine auctions. All of the proceeds
raised from the wine donated and listed in the new category are free
of fees and commissions with all proceeds being donated to specific
charities, typically an international and a local charity.
The newly launched charity category in the February wine auction raised
over $1,500 from 12 bottles and 2 signed magnums that were donated by
Kalleske Wines, with the debut of the 2003 Kalleske Shiraz
magnums fetching $300 each and the 2003 bottles each raising $80. The
money raised was donated equally between The Asian Tsunami Appeal and
The Eyre Peninsula Fire appeal. The next auctions charity proceeds in
April will be donated equally to World Vision Child Rescue and a local
Australian children's charity.
The concept of having a charity category in each wine auction held through
the year was inspired by Troy Kalleske from Kalleske wines who
generously donated his wine for the initial wine auction. We decided
that is was such a good idea that, in addition to its annual Multiple
Sclerosis charity wine auction, a portion of each other wine auction held
through the year should carry on the tradition and raise money for
charity.
29th
November 2004
Just prior to the November wine auction opening, US wine
critic, Robert Parker, reviewed a comprehensive selection of
Australian wines, catapulting many of them into instant cult status
by awarding them points in the high nineties. Vendors who held wines
reviewed by Parker added a "Parker Premium" to their wines just
prior to the wine auction, doubling, sometimes tripling the previously
requested reserve price. However, whilst interest remained high in
these wines the bids never achieved the expected price set by the
vendors with the market not prepared to absorb the high "Parker
Premiums" at this time.
An interesting point to note is, perhaps due to the sheer number of
high scoring Australian wines reviewed by Parker, many buyers only
appear to be prepared to pay significant "Parker Premiums" for
Australian wines scoring 96 and above points.
As the available quantity of these wines diminish and the exchange
rate changes in favour of the overseas buyer then these wines will
again start attracting more bidders and increase in price.
A number of the wines where the vendors expectation of a large
return was too high was with the 2001 and 2002 Greenock Creek wines.
Whilst the 2001 releases were highly regarded by Parker with most of
the wines scoring between 96 to 100 points, the 2002 wines, whilst
not reviewed until mid-2005, are considered a better wine and
subsequently attracted as high an expectation as the 2001 vintage.
However, the results were significantly less than expected with the
Greenock Creek Alice block shiraz achieving $55 for both the 2001
and 2002 vintages, the Greenock Creek Apricot block achieving $85
for the 2001 and $50 for the 2002, the 2001 Greenock Creek Creek
block achieving $155 per bottle and the 2001 Greenock Creek Seven
Acre attracting $65. Meanwhile, the latest cult Australian wine to
captivate the palates of the world have been the Kalleske wines
which have attracted a huge amount of praise from Robert Parker in
his reviews of the 2002 and 2003 vintages and have firmed the
secondary market price for both the 2002 and 2003 Kalleske Greenock
Shiraz at the $80 mark.
There was alot of interest shown in the wines of Wayne Dutschke,
another cult Australian wine maker, whose 2001 and 2002 single
barrel shiraz continues to steadily rise in price, this time
achieving a price of $92 per bottle, while a very rare imperial of
2001 Dutschke Oscar Semmler shiraz, only one of six produced, was
knocked down to the bargain price of $631.
Also of interest were the latest release Rockford SVS wines, the
1998 SVS Flaxman and 1998 SVS Pressings being snapped up for $130
each, the 1996 Rockford Basket Press shiraz went at $91, 2002 Amon
Ra shiraz at $106, a 1992 Henschke Horizontal Magnum collection went
for $391 each, 2002 Clarendon Hills Astralis Shiraz down at $250,
2002 Torbreck Les Amis at $220, a rare Seppelt Great Western
sparkling burgundy dating back to approximately 1930 (and still
drinking quite well) was knocked down at $150, there were also a
number of well cellared Yalumba the Signature wines on offer, in
particular the famous Yalumba 1961 Special Reserve Stock Galway
Vintage Claret (knocked down to $61), the very same wine that Sir
Robert Menzies declared in 1965 to be the best Australian red he had
tasted, subsequently this wine was known as "The Menzies" and gave
birth to the idea of a best-of-vintage “The Signature” wine..
17th
September 2004
Our September wine auction wound down with good clearance of
most wines and over 20% of the winning bidders coming from overseas,
mainly Europe and the USA. On the homefront prices slipped across
the board although there was good demand for many of the Penfolds
wines. Dutschke 2001 single barrel shiraz debuted at $95, Greenock
Creek 1998 Roennfeldt Road Shiraz down at $301, Shirvington 2002
Cabernet Sauvignon down at $78 and a number of lots of 2002 Kalleske
shiraz were popular although closing down at $60 per bottle.
MS
Charity Wine Auction -
30th July 2004
The 2nd annual charity wine auction to raise money for
Multiple Sclerosis research succeeded in auctioning off over $5,000
of wine and wine related items. Two weeks of bidding saw some heated
competition for many of the bottles that had been signed by wine
makers. The most active lots were a bottle of 1998 Wolf Blass Black
label Signed by John Glaetzer ($160), a magnum of 2002 Burge Family
G3 Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre signed by Rick Burge ($147), a magnum
of Bass Phillip Premium Pinot Noir ($289) and a signed 1994 Magnum
of St. Hallett Blackwell Shiraz ($141). Other highlights were a
bottle of 1999 Noon Eclipse raising $61, a bottle of Evans Family
shiraz signed by Len Evans raising $43, signed bottles of Dutschke
fortifieds fetched over $35 each, very rarely seen bottles of
Hazyblur 2002 shiraz fetched over $70 each, a bottle of Clonakilla
2002 Shiraz Viognier signed by Tim Kirk raised in excess of $80, a
magnum of Lake's Folly Cabernet Blend ($129) and a signed bottle of
the 2002 Kalleske Greenock shiraz saw some heavy bidding right to
the last minute of closing and finished with a high of $94 (a $60
premium on the cellar door price of only a few months ago).
A big thank you to all those who bid and of course to the following
wineries and wine companies who donated or supported us.
15th
May 2004
Our May wine auction ended with a good clearance of most wines
with nearly all of the Penfolds Grange, Wendouree and D'arenberg
snapped up at the last moment by Australian Bidders. Hammer prices
for Wendouree Shiraz ranged from $56 for the 2000, $72 for the 1994
Shiraz through to $147 for the 1990 Shiraz. Some of the less
popular, but just as excellent, Wendouree achieved prices of $48 for
the 1998 Shiraz Mataro and $56 for the 1998 Cabernet. A rare, hotly
contested magnum of 1998 D'arenberg Dead Arm shiraz went for $156.
1985 and 1986 Imperials of Irvine Grand Merlot were knocked down to
bargain prices of $400 and $450 respectively. Bidders from the USA
are getting quieter yet a noticeable number of Asian and a good
turnout of European bidders seem to be taking their place and were
very interested in many of the 'cult' Australian wines with the
hammer price of the 2002 Shirvington shiraz at $125, the cabernet
for $90, the Noon cabernet Reserve softer at $70 and 1998 Greenock
Creek Roennfeldt Road Shiraz at $300. Demand for Vintage port seems
to be weakening slightly with a number of well known vintage ports
going uncontested and being knocked down at discounted rates.
14th
February 2004
The online February wine auction attracted bidding from all over the world
and the free membership policy attracted many new members for this
first wine auction of the year. Bidding was slow in the early stages of the
wine auction and many of the early bidders did not take advantage of the
proxy system on the website and thereby lost out to last minute
bidders who scooped up many of the wines at bargain prices. A number
of early vintage reds that were considered curios by their original
owners, came under heavy fire from a number of Australian bidders,
achieving over double the reserves in many cases. A collection of
earlier Rockford Basket Press vintages were left wanting during the
early stages of the wine auction but came under concentrated bidding in the
closing stages with the final hammer price on the 1985 at $78, the
1987 for $61, the 1988 for $56, 1989 for $58 and the 1991 for $84. A
small collection of large format Irvine Grand Merlots were left
untouched including an imperial each of the 1985 and 1986 and various
1.5 and 3.0 litre magnums from similar vintages. Other large formats
on offer were a rare Imperial of 1991 St. Hallets Old Block Shiraz
which realised $500, an Imperial of 1992 Wolf Blass Black Label
realised $462 and two of the very first Magnums of Grange, the 1979,
realised over $2,800 each. There was healthy bidding from Australian
and Asian clients for recent release of Noons achieving $90 for the
2002 reserve cabernet and $131 for the reserve shiraz of the same
vintage. Vintage and tawny ports continued to be popular, dominated by
some of the more classically sought after vintage ports (Saltrams, St
Hallets and yalumba).
4th
October 2003
The 4th October wine auction was a commercial wine wine auction with buyers
paying a small premium on the hammer price of the wine. The most
sought after items were a generous collection of magnums including
Wynn's John Riddoch, Penfolds 707 and Henscke Hill of Grace. There
was quite a bit of heated competition for some of the limited
production wines that are sought after from the USA and whose prices
tend to inflate exponentially with very generous write ups from
wine critic Robert Parker. Highlights were 3 bottles of 2001
Shirvington Shiraz that were selling at $45 a year ago but are
fetching over $130 each (including premium) now. Also hotly
contested were a small selection of Marquis Philips wines, very few
of which remain in Australia and their availability is even more
limited now that they have dumped their Australian mail order list
to sell exclusively to the USA.
MS
Charity Wine Auction - 19th July 2003
The 19th July wine auction was the product of a charity fund raiser
to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis research (http://www.msaustralia.org.au
), the result of which helped to earn his nine year old son the
title of the highest child fundraiser in Australia for the annual MS
Readathon (http://www.ms-readathon.org/),
not bad considering there were over 64,000 participating
fundraisers.
Many wineries from all around Australia generously donated their
wine and bids were easy to get moving considering there were no
reserves, no premiums and all bids started at $1. The bidding was
fiercest for many of the signed bottles, in particular a bottle of
Rockford 1998 Basket Press Shiraz signed by Robert O’Callaghan went
for $150, a Henschkes 1999 Cyril Henschke signed by Stephen Henschke
went for $166, Noon 2001 Eclipse signed by Drew Noon went for $77,
Henschke 2000 Mount Edelstone Shiraz signed by Stephen Henschke went
for $136, Clonakilla 2001 Shiraz Viognier signed by Tim Kirk went
for $71 and many more signed bottles were auctioned off at a very
fair premium to their usual market value depending on the wine and
the signature.
There was also firm bidding for Hazyblur, a wine that rarely, if
ever, comes up for auction in Australia and has got such good
reviews in the States that none gets sold in Australia except to a
few select restaurants. The Hazyblur 2002 Barossa Shiraz fetched
$50.
Sponsors Feedback
Kane I commend you on your hard work in supporting the MS Society as
it is often overlooked by many in our society. Well done &
congratulations.
Kindest Regards
Andrew Tierney
Wirra Wirra Vineyards
Kane's letter is the best thankyou we can get. His letter was
lovely. It is pinned up on our noticeboard and I have shown it to my
supervisor. So thank you and send Kane our best wishes.
Kind Regards
Andrea Wooley
Great Western, Victoria
What a wonderful son you have, it is families such as yours that
lead by example to the community and we at Brokenwood would love to
support you with a donation of wine, to assist in fund raising for
MS, a truly worthy cause.
Regards,
Natalie Biggs
Brokenwood Wines
Hi Mark, we have used up our allocation for charity, however I am a
sucker for kids. I will get Trish to send down a couple of bottles
for the auction,
Cheers
Mark Summerfield
Summerfield Wines
A Lovely letter from Kane (wasn't a dry eye in the office) - will be
happy to assist again next year.
All the very best,
Colin
Kay Brothers Amery Wines
Congratulations on achieving such a wonderful result with the
fundraising.
Sincerely,
Janet Liebich
LiebichWein
Hi Kane,
Thank you for your E-Mail. We were very happy to have been able to
help you out. Glad to hear that so much money was raised.
Cheers
Ross and Robyne Trimboli
Hazyblur Wines
That is FANTASTIC. Pass on my gratitude to Kane for his effort
Nicole Hodgson
Seppelt Wines, Seppeltsfield
Thanks for your thank you letter - glad it all was successful - love
your letter Kane - and by all means contact us again next year. It
just goes to show that we always do it better in SA - even the eight
year olds!
Cheers
Pam
Rockford Wines
Thank Kane very much for the lovely letter, it was perfect. I placed
a copy in our folder where we have our certificates and medals etc.
I am so pleased for you with the great response. Well done!
Cheers
Donna
Majella Wines
Fantastic News! We are proud to be involved.
The Hruska Family
Maximilian's Wines and Restaurant
Congratulations Kane!!!
Julian Castagna
Castagna Vineyard
What a great result for Kane - our sincere congratulations to him
for such a fine effort for MS.
Kind regards,
Annabelle Waugh
Greenock Creek Wines
Congratulations on the success of your fundraiser, a fantastic
result! I am glad that we could be a part of such a worthy cause.
Kind regards,
Elizabeth Ellis
Campbells Wines
It was a pleasure to donate to your auction. Congratulations on the
result.
Please let me know when next time comes around.
Best,
Jeremy Oliver
Onwine Publications
|
Unless
specified differently, this wine auction is organised as a commercial event
by Wickman's Fine Wine Auctions, who is acting as an agent on behalf
of the vendor for each lot.
