Christie’s is set to announce the departure of its long-standing head of wine auctions in the US.

Christie’s vice president Richard Brierley has returned to the UK after nearly eight years running the auction house’s North American division.

Brierley, a British subject, will now oversee preparations for the yearly Hospices de Beaune auction in France, alongside Christies’ long-running Burgundy specialist, Anthony Hanson MW.

Brierley’s position in New York will be taken by Charles Curtis MW, who assumes the position of head of wine sales in the US.

Curtis was previously director of wine and spirit education at Moët Hennessy USA.

Together with its New York partner, nywines, Christie’s resumes wine auctions at its Rockefeller Plaza site in September.

Written by Howard G Goldberg in New York

Howard G Goldberg
Howard G Goldberg
Decanter Magazine, Food & Wine Writer

Howard G Goldberg is a wine writer and critic based in New York City. He made his name writing about wine for The New York Times, where he worked for 34 years. He has written various books on food and wine, including Prime: The Complete Prime Rib Book and All About Wine Cellars. He compiled The New York Times Book of Wine – a collection of the publication’s best wine articles.