World's most expensive wine puts Petrus in shade September 14, 2006
Tony Aspler
The world's most expensive icewine has gone on sale, its creators hoping to snare a buyer willing to write a cheque for CAN$30,000 for a half bottle.
Whoever snaps up the rare liquid – only 5 cases of the Chardonnay icewine have been produced – will have to have a fine sense of the absurd as well as deep pockets.
Icewine – made from grapes picked at -8C – is among the world's most labour-intensive wines. But with the world's richest people already splashing out on Bordeaux 2005, whose most expensive wine is Chateau Petrus at £20,000 a case, it may be difficult to focus minds on a sweet wine from Ontario.
The Billy Myers series icewine is one of the 18 different varieties of icewine Royal DeMaria have marketed from their Ontario vineyard.
However, the Royal DeMaria has a history of finding buyers for its stratospherically expensive products.
Among other firsts the company - owned by Joseph DeMaria - has distinction of producing the world's only Meritage icewine (in 2002) was introduced at CAN$395 a half bottle. As stock diminished the price rose to CAN$5,000.
No one has as yet taken advantage of owning the world's most expensive wine, according to Charlene Stephenson, director of sales & marketing.
'Most of the interest is coming from overseas buyers in Japan and the United Arab Emirates.'
The wine is worth its price tag because it is 'a unique varietal that has done very well for us on the competition circuit,' Stephenson said.
'The 2000 Chardonnay Icewine won consecutively for five years at Les Citadelles du Vin, VinExpo, and has also won gold for the last two consecutive years at Chardonnay-du-Monde in Chaintre.'
A step up in price from Royal DeMaria's Collector's Series that range from CAN$1800 to CAN$5000 a half bottle, the Chardonnay is the first in a series honouring a Niagara grape grower, Billy Myers, who has been farming for 40 years.
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What a delightful story. It's filled with facts and frivolity that make for an enviable combination of enjoyable reading. Thanks! Suzanne, Canada
As a wine importer operating in Ontario I think it does a disservice to our industry to report on these totally ridiculous prices requested for Villa DeMaria icewines. Mr DeMaria is free to put any price he wants on his products, but that doesn't mean anyone is stupid enough to buy what he is selling. This is a blatant publicity attempt and I would have hoped that Decanter would have been smarter than to give this guy a platform. Mr. Aspler must be short on material to have wasted his time on this. Paul Wilk, The Small Winemakers Collection Inc., Toronto
Well, we all know what happened to Valandraud, don't we. Kracher, Doennhoff and Haag won't be losing any sleep. Michael Schmidt
good story, just a couple of comments.
1st. this wine cannot claim to have put ch. petrus behind on the list until a sale actually takes place. i do not know if in fact a sale has taken place (at the stated price)
2nd. it seems that the comment by Paul Wilk, of The Small Winemakers Collection Inc., Toronto are nothing more than.... well... sour grapes since i do not find any fault as mr. wilk does. hmm i wonder if wine could be produced out of sour grapes in stead of frozen ones...
Anon
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What a delightful story. It's filled with facts and frivolity that make for an enviable combination of enjoyable reading. Thanks! Suzanne, Canada
