Grange auction expected to net A$100,000

Nearly 100 bottles of Penfolds Grange could raise A$100,000 or more in an online auction of one of the famous wine's largest private collections.

Nearly 100 bottles of Penfolds Grange could raise A$100,000 or more in an online auction of one of the famous wine’s largest private collections.

The sale by GraysOnline includes 30 lots and covers vintages from 1955 to 2005, with the highlight a 27-bottle vertical collection of magnums from 1979 to 2005.

Also in the auction are eight six-bottle cases covering vintages from 1990 to 1997, seven of them in their original wooden packaging.

A collection of 17 other vintages in single bottle or magnum formats, ranging from 1955 to 1989, makes up the remainder of the sale, which began last week and ends on 29 August.

GraysOnline highlighted acclaimed vintages 1983, 1986, 1990 and 1991, all included in the vertical of magnums, with six-bottle cases of 1990 and 1991, and a single bottle of 1983, also available separately.

The collection comes from a wealthy individual who owned a number of bottle shops outside Sydney.

GraysOnline claims to sell more than A$500,000 of Grange each year, with magnums fetching A$700-1,200 each.

‘The last sale done by GraysOnline had 22 bottles and achieved over A$30,000,’ said Greg Fitzsimmons, the company’s private cellar manager.

‘[This sale] includes bottles like the rare 1987 release, where only 600 were ever made.’

Written by Richard Woodard