Moët 1911 auctioned for charity

A case of 1911 Moët & Chandon is to be auctioned for charity by Christie’s in New York.

Taking place this weekend, the limited edition case (pictured) is valued at US$30,000-$50,000.

All profits from the sale, which features as lot 128 at Christie’s fine and rare wine sale this Saturday 18 November, will go to The Lunchbox Fund, a not for profit organisation that provides a daily meal to impoverished and at-risk children in South African township high schools.

Charles Curtis MW, head of wine sales for Christie’s Asia, commented: “Collecting vintage Champagne is a niche within the already-exclusive world of fine wine collectors, attracting some of the most dedicated fans in the world of rare wines.

“Just as at Christie’s Hong Kong, where a six-bottle lot of the remarkable vintage 1911 Moët sold for HK$780,000 or just over US$100,000, we anticipate this collector’s case will be greeted with great enthusiasm by our global clientele of collectors.”

The cases of 1911 are recent release from the Champagne house and were only disgorged earlier this year.

Champagne expert Tom Stevenson described the vintage as: “Still floral and fruity and after a century, it’s still bubbly on the palate! Grand Vintage Collection 1911 is a superb vintage champagne, both elegantly mature and deliciously lively!”

The buyer of the case will also be invited to a special dinner in New York hosted by chef Mario Batali at one of his restaurants. The meal will include Champagnes selected by Moët’s cellar master Benoît Gouez.

Another recent charity auction in Beijing saw Marqués de Riscal sell 100 of its wines dating from 1862 to 2005.

The 1,450,000 yuan (€161,000) raised by the sale – apart from being the highest ever amount bid for a collection of Spanish wine – was offered to the Aiyou Huaxia Charity Foundation, which helps children with congenital heart diseases and leukaemia.