No electrolyzing needed here.
World's Most Expensive Wine Gulped By U.S. Buyer
Parmy Olson, 02.10.06, 1:56 PM ET
LONDON - Brace yourselves bon vivants of the wine world, for a veritable holy grail of your venerated drink has been snapped up by an U.S. aficionado who wishes to remain, well, nameless.
At $100,000 the mysterious connoisseur has bought what's thought to be the most expensive bottle of white wine in the world: a 1787 vintage Sauternes from Château Yquem. The bottle of ancient tipple was purchased from the Antique Wine Company in London. "We have been working for some time on this commission and the purchaser is a long standing customer of ours," Managing Director Stephen Williams said cryptically. "This is really a very rare wine."
But don't expect that at over 200 years old, we're looking at a particularly palatable potation. Some wine experts believe the drink would do better to stand proud on a mantle piece than splashing around in tumblers--most Bordeaux are past their prime after 50 years. Williams says the Château Yquem can at least be enjoyed for its "nostalgic experience." When this Bordeaux's peasants were picking its grapes, for instance, George Washington was about to become the first President of the United States, while across the pond there were stirrings of something called the French Revolution. (For a look at other pricey bottles, see "World's Most Expensive Wines").
Williams is now set to fly to the U.S. to hand-deliver the wine to his secret American gastronome. Rather a lot fuss over a bottle of old plonk, surely? He insists its all part of his "highly personal service," and that at over $17,000 per glass "I have to be sure that our client is left with a sweet taste in his mouth." That is if they can bear to taste the stuff. Cheers!
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