22.491 Euro for
a bottle of wine!

Two Trockenbeerenauslesen
the secret stars of the bidding scene.

The beginning was made at the VDP auction on the Moselle on 20 September by a 1959 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) from the Bernkasteler DOCTOR from the VDP.Estate Geheimrat J. Wegeler. The vineyard is not only one of the most famous, but also one of the most expensive in the world. And this already since Privy Councillor Julius Wegeler bought a plot of land and paid 100 Goldmark per vine.

Former US President Dwight D. Eisenhower is also said to have tasted the 1959 TBA. At the VDP.Autumn Auction, 4,057.90€ (including taxes and fees) was raised for one bottle of 0.7 litres.

 

Traditionally, the emphasis of the auction wines lies in the residual to noble sweet range. The VDP.Mosel also auctioned dry VDP.GROSSE GEWÄCHSE® in large bottles this year. A double magnum (3 litres) of Erdener Prälat from the VDP.Estate Dr. Loosen changed hands for 3,623.55€.
A total of 13,000 bottles of wine came under the hammer in Trier.

A special battle was fought by two bidders at the VDP.Auction on the Nahe on 22nd of September in the Römerhalle in Bad Kreuznach for a Magnum (1.5 liters) 2015 HERMANNSHÖHLE Friday - Riesling TBA from the VDP.Estate Dönnhoff. The wine, which has already been awarded several times with 100 points, went to the highest bidder for 22,491€ (incl. taxes and fees).

The cabinet highlight of the VDP.Nahe auction is surprisingly from the Mosel. 2018 SCHUBERTSLAY Riesling Cabinet by Klaus Peter Keller. Jancis Robinson calls this extremely steep piece of fillet in the Piesporter Hang the "jewel in the mosel crown".
For the VDP.Winegrower Klaus Peter Keller from Rheinhessen, whose mother came from the Moselle, the involvement in the Schubertslay is a matter close to his heart.
This has now been rewarded. The Magnum bottle achieved 5.685,23€.

The good results of the top dry wines on the Mosel and Nahe rivers underline the regained importance of the auctions for the VDP.Wineries and contribute to consolidating the international reputation and manifesting the longevity of the wines. Last but not least, the auctions are also a yardstick for the wine market.


Background:

The VDP.Wine auctions have existed for over 100 years. They were introduced in order to open up new sales channels and to ensure the quality of the wines. The possibilities of self-marketing in today's sense were still largely unknown. So it was usual to sell the harvest barrel by barrel to the trade against the highest bid. For a long time whole barrels (Fuder at the Mosel or piece and half piece in the Rheingau and at the Nahe) were auctioned, before one gradually proceeded to sell bottled wines.