Lovers of fine wines and rare spirits will be able to bid on distinctive sets as 71 different fine wine estates and distilleries prepare to host The Golden Vines Fine Wine, Rare Spirit & Experience Global Online Auction in September, with the aim of raising funds towards the Gerard Basset Wine Education Charitable Foundation.
Organised by Liquid Icons, the online auction will be available to access through using an eBrochure with Embedded WPA technology to allow for bidding globally.
The auction will open from Thursday 23rd September right through until the closing night of The Golden Vines Awards Ceremony & Dinner on Thursday 7th October. Each auction lot will include sizeable formats and rarities, in addition to a ‘money can’t-buy’ experience from numerous world-renowned fine wine estates and spirit distilleries.
The Gerard Basset Wine Education Charitable Foundation
The proceeds raised from the auction will go to The Gerard Basset Wine Education Charitable Foundation to help with their aim of funding more diversity and inclusion towards wine education programme globally, including The Taylor’s Port Golden Vines Diversity Scholarships.
Expectations are that the auction will raise in excess of £1 million. Various community and institutional groups from across the world have been given the chance to submit funding requests to be considered for grants from the Foundation to be awarded in the following year of 2022.
The foundation was set up to honour the legacy and memory of Gerard Basset OBE MW MS by addressing the wine industry’s most pressing issues through education, training & mentorship. The Gerard Basset Wine Education Charitable Foundation comprises a multidisciplinary team of industry-leading professionals as its Trustees: Nina Basset FIH, Romané Basset, Lewis Chester DipWSET, Ian Harris MBE DipWSET, and Jancis Robinson OBE MW.
Who are Liquid Icons?
Liquid Icons is a fine wine research and content production company founded by two friends to “do stuff in wine” – the late, great Gerard Basset OBE MW MS and Lewis Chester DipWSET.
When discussing the planned online auction, Lewis Chester stated: “We are honoured and humbled by the enormous enthusiasm and generosity of so many top fine wine estates and spirit distilleries in support of the foundation’s work. The industry clearly recognises the issues around diversity and inclusion and the need to radically tackle them through the foundation’s global wine education programmes.”
Fine wine and spirit lovers of the world will be able to bid on the different bottling formats, often signed by the owner or head winemaker, whilst taking their friends, family, colleagues or clients on VIP tours, fine wines lunches, tastings or dinners, often while staying at wineries from across five continents.
What is on offer?
Many will be enthused by the numerous experiences that will be on offer. Liber Pater is donating a Melchior (18 litre) of the world’s most expensive red wine on release, alongside a tour, tasting and lunch with the unparalleled Loic Pasque. Cheval Blanc is opening its doors to a party of 10 guests to stay at the Chateau while enjoying a fine wine dinner with its head winemaker, Pierre Clouet, along with a jeroboam of Cheval Blanc 2006.
The Catena family welcomes you to Mendoza, Argentina for a 3-night-trip. If you have always wanted a rare magnum of Egon Muller’s TBA, there is a 2018 magnum on offer while dining with Egon an Egon Junior in the Mosel Valley.
For those who have always wanted to try 90+ year old perfectly-cellared Grand Crus Burgundy, spend a night at the magnificent Domaine des Lambrays in Morey-Saint_Denis while drinking your way through bottles from the 1930s with head winemaker, Jacques Devauges. Always wanted to stay at Veuve Clicquot’s beautiful Hotel du Marc in Reims, France? This is your chance, while taking home a jeroboam of 1990 La Grande Dame.
Hunting for a perfect provenance magnum of the great 1985 Sassicala? Yours plus a double-magnum of 2009, after having had lunch with our party of six at this most private of estates while being hosted by Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta.
Estates & Distilleries participating
Bordeaux: Château Cheval Blanc, Domaine Clarence Dillon, Liber Pater, Château Margaux, Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Palmer, Château Pavie, Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Château d’Yquem
Burgundy: Domaine Baron Thénard, Domaine Jean-Yves Bizot, Domaine Georges Comte de Vogüé, Domaine Jean-Jacques Confuron, Domaine Joseph Drouhin, Domaine Dujac, Domaine des Lambrays (La Grande Maison, image at top of page), Domaine Laroche, Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair, Domaine Jean-Marc Millot, Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg, Domaine Georges Noëllat, Domaine Jean-Marc Roulot
Champagne: Boërl & Kroff, Charles Heidsieck, Dom Péignon, Krug, Louis Roederer, Moét & Chandon, Rare, Ruinart, Salon & Delamotte, Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot
Rest of France: Chêne Bleu, Domaine Georges Vernay
Italy: Biondi-Santi, Castiglion del Bosco, E. Pira di Chiara Boschis, Giacomo Conterno, Gaja, Bruno Giacosa, Giuseppe Rinaldi, Luca Roagna, Tenuta San Guido
Spain: La Rioja Alta, Marqués de Riscal
Portugal: Barca Velha, Symington Family Estates
Germany: Egon Müller, Schloss Johannisberg
England: Gusbourne Estate, Justerini & Brooks
California: Colgin Cellars, Harlan Estate, Lawrence Wine Estates (Heitz, Stony Hill & Burgess), Mayacamas, Opus One, Ridge Vineyards.
Chile: Viñedo Chadwick, Lapostolle Clos Apalta, Viña Vik
Argentina: Bodega Catena Zapata
South Africa: Hamilton Russell Vineyards, Kanonkop Wine Estate, Klein Constantia, Leu Family Wines, Meeriust Estate, Mullineux, The Eben Sadie Family Wines, Vilafonté
Australia: Penfolds Grange
Singapore: Vinum Fine Wine
Spirit Distilleries: Brora, Glenmorangie, Hennessy, The Macallan, Sullivans Cove
A full description of each of the 71 auctions lots is available here:
Golden Vines Auction Lots Presentation
This is the link to request a copy of the eBrochure from 9th September: https://liquidicons.com/the-golden-vines-fine-wine-rare-spirit-experience-global-online-auction-e-catalogue-request
