What a corker: White wine sells for record €85k

A FRENCH wine expert has splashed out €85,000 = on a bottle of wine — a Chateau d’Yquem from 1811 — making it the most costly bottle of white wine ever sold.

The buyer, Christian Vanneque, is a sommelier and restaurateur but the bottle is unlikely ever to see a corkscrew, serving instead as a talking point at his new restaurant in Bali.

It’s rare to see a white fetch such prices, or even to remain drinkable. The explanation seems to be that the bottle is a Sauternes which, being a dessert wine, would contain high acidity and a lot of sugar, which may prolong its life.

In 1976, a fresh-faced young Vanneque was one of the tasters who took part in the now-famous Judgement of Paris wine tasting when wines from the new world won the top place in every category ahead of all the more expensive wines from France.

Take Sauternes by Thomas Barton at €20 (750ml) and, from Victoria in Australia, Orange Muscat and Flora by Brown Brothers at €10 to €12 (375ml).

So while you or I may not be able to splash out €85,000 on a bottle, there’s no reason we can’t get a taste at a price that’s right.