Lafite Starts U.K. Sales Before U.S. as Market Picks Up

A case of Chateau Lafite 1982 Bordeaux, along with Chateau Latour from the same year and Romanee-Conti Burgundies, will go on sale at Sotheby’s (BID) in London this week before the focus of wine auctions moves to New York.

Sotheby’s is estimating the Lafite 1982 will fetch as much as 30,000 pounds ($47,400) a case while the Latour may sell for as much as 14,500 pounds, according to its online catalog. Two 12-bottle assortments of Domaine de la Romanee Conti 1999 are estimated at as much as 34,000 pounds each.

The Liv-ex Fine Wine 50 Index has risen 3 percent so far this month, after a drop of 9.7 percent last year, and has now gained for four of the past six months. The Chinese New Year celebrations in February are helping to drive demand, along with investors and collectors looking to take advantage of lower prices following market declines.

“The wine market has turned and is definitely on the move again,” Miles Davis, partner at Wine Asset Managers LLP in London, said by e-mail yesterday. “Demand from China has returned in style and nearly all of the major stock holders are low on inventory.”

Other top lots at the Jan. 30 sale include wines from Domaine Armand Rousseau, notably a case of Chambertin 1999 Rousseau carrying an estimate of as much as 12,000 pounds and 12 bottles of Chambertin Clos de Beze 2005 Rousseau estimated at as much as 10,500 pounds, according to the auction house’s website.

Sotheby’s is also auctioning Latour 1996 priced at as much as 5,500 pounds a case, as well as Krug Champagne.

Christie’s International Plc is scheduled to hold a sale in London on Feb. 21, after which the focus switches to New York with auctions from both Sotheby’s and Acker Merrall & Condit on Feb. 23.

Following is a list of global wine sales scheduled so far this year. Dates may be subject to revision, and links are to auction house sale catalogs and websites.

JANUARY:

Jan. 25/26:     Acker, Merrall & Condit, Hong Kong
Jan. 30:        Sotheby’s, London

FEBRUARY:

Feb. 2:         Hart Davis Hart, Chicago
Feb. 21:        Christie’s, London
Feb. 23:        Acker, Merrall & Condit, New York
Feb. 23:        Sotheby’s, New York
Feb. 27:        Sotheby’s, London

MARCH:

Mar. 1:         Christie’s, New York
Mar. 7/8:       Zachys, New York
Mar. 20:        Sotheby’s, London
Mar. 21:        Christie’s, London
Mar. 22/23:     Acker, Merrall & Condit, Hong Kong
Mar. 23:        Hart Davis Hart, Chicago
Mar. 27:        Acker, Merrall & Condit, New York

APRIL:

Apr. 3:         Sotheby’s, Hong Kong
Apr. 12:        Christie’s, New York
Apr. 17:        Sotheby’s, London
Apr. 23:        Christie’s, Amsterdam
Apr. 26/27:     Sotheby’s, New York
Apr. 27:        Acker, Merrall & Condit, New York

MAY:

May 2:          Christie’s, London
May 11:         Hart Davis Hart, Chicago
May 15:         Sotheby’s, London
May 23:         Bonhams, Hong Kong
May 24:         Christie’s, New York
May 24/25:      Acker, Merrall & Condit, Hong Kong
May 29:         Acker, Merrall & Condit, New York

JUNE:

Jun. 4:         Christie’s, Amsterdam
Jun. 6:         Christie’s, London
Jun. 8:         Sotheby’s, New York
Jun. 12:        Sotheby’s, London
Jun. 29:        Acker, Merrall & Condit, New York
Jun. 29:        Hart Davis Hart, Chicago

SEPTEMBER:

Sept. 7:        Acker, Merrall & Condit, New York
Sept. 21:       Hart Davis Hart, Chicago
Sept. 27/28:    Acker, Merrall & Condit, Hong Kong

OCTOBER:

Oct. 26:        Hart Davis Hart, Chicago

NOVEMBER:

Nov. 20/22:     Bonhams, Hong Kong

DECEMBER:

Dec. 7:         Hart Davis Hart, Chicago

To contact the reporter on the story: Guy Collins in London on guycollins@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Beech at mbeech@bloomberg.net