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10 Most expensive Wine in the world

Investing in wine is an age-old practice. The old wines are getting better with age and thus more expensive. This draws investors from across the globe. The expensive and collectible wines do not lose their value even during economic downtime.

One of the explanations is that old wine is diminishing in quantity making it rarer and thus more expensive. A bottle bought at an auction will appreciate two to three times in value in a decade. As such, investing in wine becomes a profitable business.  The wines considered to have more cultural heritage are from the vines of Southern Europe.

Below are ten of the world’s most expensive wines.

1. Poor Storage of Chateau Lafite 1787 caused it to Lose Value

A bottle of wine and a glass on a table. Photo by Andreas Haslinger on

After the death of US President Jefferson, a bottle of Chateau Lafite 1787 was discovered about 200 years later in a Â鶹APP cellar. In 1985, Malcolm Forbes a publishing Mogul bought the bottle for USD 156,450. The biggest wine connoisseurs indicated the bottle was the property of Jefferson, and the wine bottle had President Jefferson’s initials.

Forbes put his newly acquired wine under halogen spotlights, in a glass case. The halogen lights were strong and the cork which had been placed at a wrong angle dried up. The cork fell inside the bottle bringing the value of the wine, purchased at USD 156,450, to zero.

2. A senior Winemaking Staff from Penfold will accompany you to open the Ampoule Wine

Penfold’s winery buildings at Magill Estate, South Australia. Photo by Picadder/

Each bottle of the new edition Penfolds’ 2004 Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon costs USD 168,000. A glass of the same costs USD 850.

This wine is released by Penfolds, South Australia’s most famous winery. The Ampoule wine does not have a cork or screw cap. It’s produced solely for commercial purposes and is the most expensive wine from a winery to retail directly.

Tasting this wine is an experience in itself. The wine comes in a glass prism container, in a wooden cabinet that has to be broken off at the end. A senior member of the winemaking staff accompanies the buyer to help with that.

3. The 1990 Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru is considered more than just great wine

The 1990 Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru, priced at USD 224,000 per bottle, is an exceptional wine. Michel Bettane, the leading French wine critic defined it as a reminder of the variance between good and great.

Super elegant and feminine is what Musigny is known for. This bottle, however, gives it more structure and dimension which makes it special as it lasts longer.

4. A bottle of the Chateau Margaux 1787 accidentally broke before it was even tasted

French wine from the Medoc left bank of Bordeaux. Also, an excellent picture of a wine strainer (on the left decanter) that filters out sediment (which can be seen in the bottles). Photo by
Alex Brown/

During the period Thomas Jefferson was an ambassador to France, he bought bottles of Bordeaux and Burgundy severally. William Sorokin owned one of the bottles which bore Jefferson’s initials.

Priced at USD 225,000, Sorokin took the bottle to the Four Seasons for a night of celebrations. A waiter accidentally bumped into the table and the bottle broke. Sorokin was compensated by the insurance company but he must have been devastated at not having sampled the prized drink.

5. Chateau Lafite 1869 is considered a rare and luxurious item in Asia

The Chateau Lafite 1869 went up for auction in China and the expectation was it would fetch about USD 8,000. Three bottles were auctioned and each fetched an unexpected USD 230,000.

The wine bottles were purchased by an anonymous Asian buyer. The auctioneers were not aware that in Asia, the Chateau Lafite is considered a luxurious and extremely rare wine.

6. The Shipwrecked 1907 Heidsieck Wine lay in the Ocean for Almost a Century

Photograph of Nicholas II circa 1912. Photo by Peruanec/

Despite not knowing if the wine was drinkable, its history increased the value of each bottle. Intended for Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia, each bottle was purchased at USD 275,000.

1916, during the First World War, a ship carrying 2,000 bottles of wine was torpedoed by a German submarine. The bottles lay undisturbed and away from any source of light at freezing temperature for 80 years.

The wine was tasted by Chris Hoel, who stated it had black rifle powder, gunflint, and something salty on the nose. On the palate, the wine had among others, graham crackers, flaming oranges, and burnt lemon oil.

7. The 1947 Cheval Blanc Has a Taste that Can Never be replicated

Bordeaux wine Angelus from France. Photo by Joel Bez/

The 1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc was sold in auction to an anonymous buyer. Considered the best Bordeaux ever made, the wine was auctioned at Christie’s. It sold for USD 304,375.

In 2012, Chateau Cheval Blanc received the super-exclusive Premier Grand Cru Classe (A) rank in the Classification of Saint-Emilion wine. Chateau Cheval Blanc is also one of the world’s most esteemed winemakers.

The year of this wine’s creation was characterized by bad weather. The wine was produced with many technical flaws and under primitive conditions. This gave it an exceptional taste that could never be replicated.

8. Jeroboam of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 1945 is one of the best wines from the last century

Château Lafite Rothschild 1979. Photo by Geographer/

This wine is from Nathaniel Rothschild’s vineyard. Rothschild bought the estate in 1853, and their wines are among the most valued globally. 1945 is considered one of the last century’s best vintage.

The 1945 label bears the letter ‘V’. This indicated the Allied forces’ victory in the Second World War. A standard wine bottle costs USD 310,700. A glass of the same costs more than eight thousand dollars.

9. Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 1992 is described as spectacular

A person holding grapes. Photo by Maja Petric on

Sold at a charity auction in 2000, the 1992 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon fetched USD 500,000. Described as a spectacular wine, it’s unfiltered and unfined while bottling.

The wine is aged in 60 percent new oak and is opaque purple. The wine has subtle traces of oak with a jammy blackcurrants aroma.

10. The 1945 Domaine De La Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti Grand Cru is the most expensive wine

Romanée-Conti grape selection. Photo by Renzo Grosso/

During the Sotheby’s sale, in New York in 2018, an Asian collector paid USD 558,000 for this wine. The vintage is from a fabled vineyard.

Produced in the 4.5-acre Romanée-Conti vineyard, the seven fabled red and white wines are the embodiment of quality in burgundies. The 1945 wine was from a hot year making them very concentrated.

Production was small due to hail and frost, thus only 600 bottles were produced. Most of them have been consumed so far. The aromas are long and complex with layers of earth and spice flavors. This, in addition to the silky texture, makes it a valuable bottle of wine.