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Golden Vines raises over £878,000 for Gérard Basset Foundation

11 November 2024 By Arabella Mileham

The annual Golden Vines charity auction raised £878,754 for the Gérard Basset Foundation last month, with some lots smashing their pre-sale estimates tenfold, but, as indicative of the market, the total fell short of the record-breaking £1.3 million raised in 2021.

The online auction, which closed on 27 October comprised 130 lots, which included bottles of Burgundy, Champagne and Bordeaux, alongside wines from Italy, Portugal, California, Germany, Spain and Argentina, as well as ‘money-can’t-buy’ oenology and luxury experiences.

The top lot was an Opus One experience, which raised £34,000, against an estimate of £20,000-40,000), followed by a one-night Biondi Santi experience, including an ultra-rare Mathusalem (6L) of Biondi-Santi Tenuta Greppo Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG from the 2016 vintage, which doubled its high estimate to reach £30,000. Meanwhile a Château Cheval Blanc Saint-Émilion Experience smashed its £3000-6000 estimate to raise £25,000. The lot included a double Magnum (3L) of Château Cheval Blanc 2011, plus VIP tour, tasting, vineyard visit, and fine wine lunch featuring historic library wines at the Château hosted by head winemaker Pierre Olivier Clouet or sales director Arnaud de Laforcade, for 8 guests.

However, the result fell short of the 2021 record, when The Golden Vines Fine Wine, Rare Spirits and Experience Auction smashed its £1million target. The auction itself raised £1.05 million, despite comprising only 75 lots, with additional donations pushing the final sum to £1.3 million.

This year’s auction was held on the eve of the 2024 Golden Vines Awards, organised by Liquid Icons, which took place in Madrid’s celebrated Palacio Cibeles. The gala dinner included a gourmet menu by Michelin starred restaurant El Celler de Can Roca, which was paired with wines including Dom Pérignon Rosé 2009 and Château d’Yquem 1983.

The awards themselves, which are judged by more than 1,200 wine professionals from across the world, including 68 Masters of Wine, 29 Master Sommeliers and 301 WSET Diploma holders, saw Spain’s Vega Sicilia honoured as the Robb Report’s Best Fine Wine Producer, South Africa’s The Sadie Family Wines win the Rising Star award, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti named as Europe’s Best Producer and New Zealand’s Felton Road Wines receive the Gucci Sustainability Award. Other producers who took away gongs included California’s Harlan Estate, Australia’s Henschke, Spain’s Familia Torres and Scotch whisky producer The Macallan, while Jasper Morris MW was inducted into the Golden Vines Hall of Fame.

The Gerard Basset Foundation is a UK registered charity founded in memory of the popular and generous master sommelier who died in 2019. It funds scholarships that further Basset’s legacy of Gérard Basset by making it possible for individuals to establish or further there a career in wine, spirits & hospitality, being open to all, irrespective of background or circumstance and with a focus on boosting diversity.