Christie's in New York has chosen as its new associate a purveyor of blue-chip and boutique wines based in Long Island City, just across the East River from Manhattan.
The new associate is the New York Wine Warehouse, whose president, Geoffrey Troy, is well-known among collectors of fine and rare wines. The Warehouse replaces Zachys, a major retailer in suburban Scarsdale, New York, who worked with Christie’s from 1995 until last month, when their contract expired.
The new arrangement will be known as NYWinesChristies, the auction house’s North American Wine Department said today. Richard Brierley, head of the department, called the New York Wine Warehouse ‘a well-respected player in the North American Wine Market.’
The Wine Warehouse was founded in 1991. New York State law requires that when an independent auction house wants to conduct wine sales in the state, its collaborator must be a merchant that has held a liquor license for ten consecutive years.
The Wine Warehouse sells rare Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, California, Italian, Australian and Spanish wines. As with the Zachys-Christie’s connection, the new collaborators will hold auctions not only in Manhattan but also in Los Angeles. At this point, four are scheduled in Manhattan, the first on 8 March, and one in Los Angeles.
The Wine Warehouse’s new auction division will be headed by Troy, the president, and a newly appointed director, Michael Troise. Troy has for years been a permanent fixture and active bidder on the floors of Sotheby’s and Christie’s on Friday and Saturdays, when wine sales have been held.
Written by Howard G Goldberg in New York3 January 2002
