Andrew Lloyd Webber rare wines auction raises more than £500,000 for charity

Andrew Lloyd Webber sells wine cellar 'treasures' for charity

Bidders from around the world vied for rare Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and other legendary wines previously collected by Andrew Lloyd Webber, in a special charity auction hosted by Christie’s to benefit the provision of musical instruments in schools.

Every lot found a buyer in the sale, which raised £517,910 for The Music in Secondary Schools Trust (MiSST), Christie’s said.

It said all hammer proceeds from the auction will go to The Andrew Lloyd Webber Programme, which is administered by MiSST and provides access to free instruments, weekly tuition and a classical music curriculum.

Sale highlights

A single bottle of Château Margaux 1900 sold for £35,000, including the buyer’s premium, way above its pre-sale high estimate of £7,000, showed Christie’s results from the auction, which ended on 6 May.

Now more than 125 years old, the wine’s label features the name ‘Pillet-Will’; Count Pillet-Will acquired the esteemed first growth estate in 1879.

While it is particularly rare to see wines of this age going under the hammer, Christie’s said the highest-priced lots in the Andrew Lloyd Webber cellar auction were wines from Burgundy’s fabled Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC).

Three bottles of Romanée-Conti Grand Cru 2005 sold for £56,250 including the buyer’s premium (high estimate: £45,000).

With 100% of hammer proceeds to be donated, Christie’s said the lot raised £45,000 for the MiSST-led programme.

Six bottles of DRC La Tâche 2005 sold for £50,000 including buyer’s premium (high e: £30,000), and Christie’s said the lot raised £40,000 for charity.

'Music empowers young people'

Andrew Lloyd Webber said, ‘I am absolutely delighted that the sale of my wine cellar has raised over a half a million pounds for my music in schools programme. To date over 30,000 children have taken part in the project and the sale means that 4,000 additional kids will be able to join.

‘The beneficial power of music education in schools has long proved to be a no-brainer. Quite simply, music empowers young people.

'From academic achievement to solving social behaviour and mental health issues, the benefits to the whole community, not just the young students, are demonstrably proven.'

The musical impresario behind hits such as Cats and Phantom of the Opera also criticised successive UK governments for their lack of support.

Adam Bilbey, senior vice president, and global head of wine and spirits at Christie’s, said, ‘This sale delivered exceptional results for a cellar of outstanding provenance. Collectors responded strongly to the rarity and historical significance of the wines, with sustained bidding throughout the online sale.

'We are particularly proud that the proceeds (full hammer total) will support The Music in Secondary Schools Trust and its transformative work in music education.’

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