£300,000 raised for Cité du Vin

A special auction to support Cité du Vin’s 2020 cultural programme has raised over £300,000 following a closing evening in Hong Kong.

The preceding online auction closed after 10 days on 22 November with an evening auction in Hong Kong hosted by Jeannie Cho Lee MW.

All 45 lots were sold by the end of the evening to buyers from around the world. Offers included not just rare bottles of fine wine but private visits, dinners and overnight stays at famous châteaux and restaurants as well.

Sylvie Cazes, president of the Foundation for the Culture and Civilizations of Wine – Cité du Vin, said: “We are very pleased with the great success of this auction and we warmly thank all the wine estates and donors of these prestigious lots, as well as the Sotheby’s Wine team which supported this auction and made it possible.

“This great result will allow the Foundation to carry out new cultural projects in 2020, such as the programming of special exhibitions like Drinking with the Gods (April 2020), and to go even further in its mission of safeguarding, protecting and passing on the cultural and universal heritage of wine to the widest audience.”

Jamie Ritchie, chairman of Sotheby’s Wine, added: “We are delighted to support the Cité du Vin for this very special sale, which saw bids coming in from all over the world from wine lovers eager to secure the opportunity to make the trip of their lifetimes.

“Ever since it opened, the Cité du Vin has brought a renewed energy to Bordeaux and the proceeds raised will play a vital role in sustaining that energy as it continues to focus the world’s attention on the cultures and civilisations of millennia of wine history. With these unique experiences, the lucky winning bidders can now look forward to receiving the legendary hospitality of the extraordinary people behind the wines and gaining a unique perspective on the myriad elements that go into the making of them.”