VDP.Auctions
Follow-up report 2025

Two cities, one weekend of excellence: the VDP.wine auctions in Trier and Bad Kreuznach thrilled visitors with rare gems, strong results and palpable excitement in the room. They thus confirmed their reputation as two of the most exciting wine events of the year.

The auctions held by GROSSER RING VDP.Mosel-Saar-Ruwer on Friday, November 7th 2025, sent a strong signal for top-quality German wine. The auction also focused on the welfare of others: a charity wine case offered by the mayor of Trier, Wolfram Leibe, raised €9,500 for AURYN Trier e.V., an organization that supports children of parents with mental illness.
Traditionally “wet” in the hall – i.e., with accompanying tastings of the wines being auctioned – and at the same time followed globally via livestream, Trier offered a packed program of VDP.GROSSEN GEWÄCHSEN, PRÄDIKATSWEINE, and selected rarities. A second streaming channel provided further insight into the event: Dr. Daniel Deckers (FAZ, “Die Gegenwart”) offered knowledgeable commentary, classified historical documents, and entertained viewers with anecdotes from the wine-growing community. The auction, which lasted a good four hours – the 7th GROSSE GEWÄCHSE auction and 138th PRÄDIKATSWEINVERSTEIGERUNG – was conducted by Edwin Vos, international head of wine & spirits and senior auctioneer at the renowned Christie's auction house in London, in a skilled and entertaining manner; advanced auction software made the international bidding dynamics transparent and accelerated the process.

The 2025 results underscore the continuing high demand for rare German fine wines from the Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer regions: the auction generated a total gross revenue of more than €1.5 million. The VDP.Estate Egon Müller – Scharzhof was a highlight in the results lists: the 2023 SCHARZHOFBERGER Auslese Goldkapsel (VDP.GROSSE LAGE®) in 6.0 l was sold for €20,505.00. “Edwin Vos guided us through the auctions with confidence and entertainment. His extensive experience in the wine business, his love for the great wines of the world – and especially for Riesling from Mosel-Saar-Ruwer – once again set the tone,” sums up Carl von Schubert, Chairman of the GROSSER RING, with satisfaction.

Results Prädikatsweine
 
Results VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS®

On Saturday, the historic Römerhalle museum in Bad Kreuznach became a forum for international wine lovers, collectors, and experts. The preliminary tasting began at 9 a.m.: 13 VDP.estates from Ahr, Nahe, Pfalz and Rheinhessen presented their strictly limited auction wines. The guests tasted, discussed, bid, and were thrilled by the wines offered for auction. From rare VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS® wines to fruity sweet Kabinett wines to one of the now rare ice wines, the wines on offer brought smiles to everyone's faces. 
At 1 p.m., Caro Maurer (Master of Wine) opened the “wet” auction, accompanied by a tasting of the wines that had just been announced. 140 guests were in attendance. At the same time, hundreds of international viewers followed the livestream. Last-minute bids from London, New York, Hong Kong, and Panama repeatedly caused excitement in the room. VDP.Honorary President Michael Prinz zu Salm-Salm confidently led the auction as honorary auctioneer – entertaining, humorous and experienced. He also paid tribute to the recently deceased German-American wine merchant Peter Sichel, who was one of the most important customers of the VDP.wine auctions during his active career.

A total of 4,402 bottles were offered in 34 auction lots. The prices of the 0.75-liter bottles ranged from €35 to €600; individual large bottles achieved significantly higher prices – for example, the 3-liter (double magnum) PETTENTAL Riesling GG from the Keller winery changed hands for €11,000. The average bottle price across all lots was €268.78/0.75 l (plus VAT and fees).
 

This year's charity raffle tickets sent a strong message:
A total of €16,500 was raised for a good cause. The “10 Years After” charity box, containing 13 selected 2014 wines from the auction wineries, raised €4,500 (starting price €300). In addition, 12 tickets for the auction winemakers' summer party at Gut Hermannsberg were auctioned off. A private party with the winemakers themselves – in a dreamlike setting, with wines that are no longer available on the market and delicacies from the wineries' kitchens. The winning bid was €1,000 per ticket (starting price €300). All proceeds from the charity auctions will go to the Bad Kreuznach district's sustainability project “Wurzeln schlagen” (Putting Down Roots), which promotes nutrition education in schools (including greenhouses and accompanying lessons) and the planting of a generational forest.

Frank Schönleber, chairman of VDP.Nahe, is very satisfied with the results achieved and sums up: “This auction impressively demonstrates how relevant and sought-after top German wines are internationally. German viticulture will only have a chance in the long term if we continuously strive for the best quality.”

All results