Featured 65
Top 10 Expensive Wines in The World
Top 10 Most Interesting, Expensive Wines In The World
When talking about the most expensive wines in the world, it is a little hard to be precise about prices. Bottle sizes can be wildly different, and even non-standard for very old vintages, like the 1787 Château Lafite bottle initialed by Thomas Jefferson.
Collectors of high-priced wines seem to pursue them mostly for the delight of owning them, not so much for drinking them. It reminds you of other collectors (of stamps, for instance) and the way they treat their prizes. It’s the rarity and perceived interest value that makes the prices so high, even when the original drinking value is long gone, again as with Jefferson’s Château Lafite.
We were going to tell you all about the most expensive wines, but we had too much difficulty in comparing prices and resolving discrepancies in reported values. So instead, here are ten of the most interesting super-expensive wines. Get ready for your eyes to pop and your jaw to hit the floor, sometimes at the prices, other times at the stories. We begin with Jefferson’s Château Lafite.
1787 Château Lafite: $160,000
Thomas Jefferson traveled in France in 1787, and over a five-day period toured the major vineyards in Bordeaux. A little-known result of his intelligence was a selection of the four wines most likely to achieve excellence in the future. It turns out that all four of his picks were correct, and one of them was the Château Lafite. He took some bottles back home with him and became a lifelong customer, and after he died his collection still contained at least one bottle of Lafite, engraved with his initials.
Almost 200 years later, that bottle together with others of his collection was discovered behind a basement wall. Put up for auction in 1985, the Château Lafite fetched $160,000 (at least $315,000 after inflation now) and went to Malcolm Forbes. The next stage in the bottle’s history then ensued. It was already doubtful whether the wine was drinkable any more, but that question soon became moot. Displayed under bright lights, the cork heated up and dried out, and the resulting shrinkage allowed it to slip into the wine. At that point, it became extremely important that the bottle had been purchased as a collector’s item and not for consumption.
That fact is fortunate because it’s the only reason that the Jefferson 1787 Château Lafite is still one of the world’s most expensive wines, regardless of the nature of its contents.
1787 Château Margaux: $519,750
Actually, that price is one of the more interesting points about this wine. The fact is that nobody ever paid that amount. The 1787 Château Margaux was another one of the wines from Jefferson’s collection, and had been presented to the New York wine merchant William Sokolin. While coming up with a value for it he happened to see a dilapidated stool that was priced at over $200,000, and on impulse decided that he might as well set a wild price for his wine. He also insured it for $225,000 in 1989 dollars, or $390,000 now, after inflation.
Soon after pricing the bottle, Sokolin was attending a dinner at the Four Seasons restaurant at which the guests of honor were the actual owners of Château Margaux. He suddenly had the idea of showing them his bottle, so he ran home and came back with it, and then rammed it into either a table or a chair arm. The bottle somehow survived without shattering, but even so it was holed. The wine inside began running out, and then Sokolin began running out. He did save part of the wine in his freezer at home, but the value of the bottle nevertheless dropped precipitately. At least he recouped the insurance value.
1907 Piper Heidsieck Monopole: $275,000
There is a certain amount of romance behind the story of this wine. One of the last shipments of wine to the Tsar’s family, including bottles of 1907 Heidsieck, was in the cargo of the ship Jonkoping bound for Finland. The Jonkoping encountered a German submarine and was sunk on November 3, 1916, taking with it the wine shipment. It was soon forgotten and lay on the seabed for 80 years until it was discovered in 1997.
When the wines were found, there was instant interest. Nobody was much surprised to find that the burgundies and cognacs had not survived. Against the odds, however, the Heidsieck champagne was still drinkable. In fact, it had fully matured and was delicious. The Moscow Ritz Carlton quickly procured a number of the bottles of Heidsieck and announced that ten were for sale. You sometimes find their price listed as given above. That price would be wrong, though. The real price is $35,000. According to a hotel representative, there was some miscommunication outside of the hotel’s control.
$35,000 is still a hefty sum for a bottle of even Imperial champagne, you may be thinking. It’s true: the value is partly in the legend behind the bottles’ preservation, like a time capsule from an earlier world. We are clearly not just hard-nosed buyers and sellers – we do like a bit of sentiment as well.
1869 Château Lafite: $233,972
What makes the 1869 Château Lafite so valuable is a combination of four factors: the basic quality of the wine, its provenance traceable back directly to the château, the fact that it is a rare vintage predating the phylloxera epidemic that decimated European vines, and last but not least a mania for Château Lafite in eastern Asia. When an auction house in Hong Kong included the bottle in its sale, everyone expected it to bring perhaps $8000.
Much to their surprise, the bidding continued until it was knocked down for $233,972 to a phone bidder. Unlike most of the wines in our list, this price was for a modern standard-sized bottle of only 750 ml. The auction house owner herself thought the price was “ridiculous”, but didn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Given the popularity of Château Lafite in East Asia, who knows what pricing surprises the future holds?
Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac: around $1300
Just as a note of interest, we thought we’d share how Château Lafite, whose name keeps appearing whenever expensive wines are mentioned, got to be so classy. “Classy”, it turns out, is exactly the word you need to describe it. It seems that the French statesman Maréchal de Richelieu was being sent on a mission abroad, and had a doctor’s examination before leaving. The prescription was for a health tonic, namely (you guessed it) Château Lafite!
Richelieu dutifully indulged, and next time he was in the royal palace, King Louis XV exclaimed, “You look 25 years younger than last time I saw you!” To which Richelieu replied, “I have discovered a drink as fine as the ambrosia of Olympus!” The King took up the tonic himself, and Château Lafite thenceforward was known as the “King’s wine”. Pretty high-class, no?
Lafite was managed by the Ségur family from the 17th century, but in the 1800s it passed through several hands, among them a man named Jean Goll de Franckenstein. In 1868, it was purchased by the Rothschild family (yes, the rich one), which is now memorialized in the name. World War II saw some depletion of the ancient holdings in the cellars due to a German garrison stationed there. Since that time, things have been better, and the label maintains its mystique.
1947 Château Cheval Blanc: $304,375
If there is any proof needed for the notion that chance plays a big part in success, you will find it here. After World War II was over, from 1945 to 1949, French wines experienced several amazing vintages. The best of all is probably the 1947 Château Cheval Blanc.
1947 was a terribly hot year. It killed vines, reduced yields, and in many cases even stopped fermentation in the normally-cool cellars. The maker of the Cheval Blanc saw his fermentation about to be “stuck” and ruined, so he added ice to the tanks, trading off some dilution for the chance to save his wine. His numbers were not good: 3 grams per liter of sugar, high acidity, and 14.4% alcohol. By all conventional wisdom, the wine should have turned out almost undrinkable.
Instead it developed into a unique and wonderful taste. It is as sweet as port, thick as oil, profound and miraculous. All critics agree it is perfect or so close that we can’t tell the difference. Yet it came about through impossible weather and cellar conditions, sporting what should have been fatal defects. Some oenologists conclude that they should reconsider everything they know. Others attempt to explain it away. We think that it just proves that we don’t know everything we think we do.
2004 Block 42: $168,000
We thought this wine’s packaging was amazing enough to warrant including in the list. The most expensive wine in the world that is sold straight from the winery, 2004 Block 42 is presented in a large sealed glass ampoule with no cork or mouth. The ampoule is once again encased in a glass sculpture, itself set in an artistically-designed box with double doors. If you do manage to scrape together the $168,000 to purchase this one, you will be given a private opening ceremony including special glass-cutting instruments to make sure your wine has no shards of the glass ampoule when it’s time to take your first sip. In addition, you get the cachet of a designer name on the glass sculpture that the wine came in.
1811 Château d’Yquem: $117,000
Now for a touch of outer space. 1811 was the Year of the Comet, when the Flaugergues Comet passed close to the Earth. The vintages of that year are sometimes known as the Comet Vintages. This is one of them.
That is not the only special point about this wine. It is a Château d’Yquem, which enjoys a combination of residual sugar and high acidity that help to preserve it and enable it, unlike almost all white wines, to age forever but keep its quality. The 1811 vintage is still drinkable.
The third thing that makes this wine special is the price which a bottle of it fetched when it was sold to Christian Vanneque, a former sommelier, for $117,000. He has good taste, because it is said to be one of the best wines ever made, rated 100 by more than one critic.
Mr. Vanneque is very clear about his reason for buying the 1811 Château d’Yquem. Whereas most collectors think of their collections as akin to a treasure hoard, he actually intends to drink this particular wine. His plan is to open it in 2017, the 50th year of his career. We think he has good taste for more than one reason.
Romanée Conti 1945: $123,900
Another pre-phylloxera wine, the Romanée Conti 1945 was produced during World War II. It’s very rare, as only 600 bottles were ever made. That might help explain the amazing price it brought – the highest price ever at auction for a standard-sized 750 ml Burgundy. Or perhaps it’s the knowledge that it was the last harvest ever from vines unaffected by phylloxera. Every vine in the vineyard was uprooted during 1946, marking the end of centuries of tradition. It was not until 1952 that the vineyard produced wine again.
Massandra 1775: $43,500
Hailing from the Ukraine, before the 1920’s Massandra wines were justly famous, dating back many generations. Massandra is the Ukraine’s oldest winery, and is located in a protected area surrounded by mountains but blessed with a warm climate that has led to many excellent vintages. The Massandra 1775 Sherry sold at Sotheby’s is the oldest bottle from Massandra so far.
Traditionally, the winery keeps one or more bottles of each wine that it produces, making it a treasure-house of centuries of wines. In addition, when the Soviets conquered the Crimea, Stalin ordered the winery to be left untouched. Later he had the Tsar’s wine collections transported to the Massandra cellars. Together with the unusual architecture of the cellars, this fabulous trove of more than a million wines is a draw for wine-wise tourists in the know.
—————-
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed this little tour. If your wine doesn’t have quite the pedigree of some of these, don’t worry. Most of the older wines are undrinkable, anyway.
Furthermore, as one wine writer discovered on tasting the 1947 Château Cheval Blanc, sometimes it’s better not to experience perfection. He said that from now on, all other wines will seem inferior.
Perhaps these wines should always stay out of reach for most of us, a kind of pole star to keep us moving but never to be attained. You’ll have to decide that question for yourself.
Meanwhile, enjoy the wines you do have!
#Expensivewine
Be sure to RACK your Wines properly!
Top 5 Pre-gaming Essentials
Top 10 Drinking Pre-game Essentials
What is pre-game? According to Urban Dictionary: To drink alcoholic beverages prior to a social engagement to make it more enjoyable.
We think that describes it pretty well. Also in these tough economical times, pre-gaming can go a long way in saving you money at the bar/club later on in the night. Whether you’re social engagement is a night on the town, wedding, or some other random event. The pre-game will almost always consist of standard essentials. We’re going to list our favorite essentials, and hope this essential list contributes to making any pre-game you attend more enjoyable.
1. Music – Build a Playlist
Every pre-game should include a solid list of tunes. The genre of music and playlist is up to you, but these tools can help:
2. Beer/Liquor – Plan accordingly
No one wants to slam down crappy beer, or take shots of bottom shelf liquor. Plan accordingly and include refreshments that will make the pre-game a success. Success can be defined by the attendees having a good time and smiling, not cringing at the thought of your refreshments.
3. Drinkware – Obvious?
This isn’t as obvious as you would think. If you plan on having ten people over, then make sure you have ten shot glasses on hand.
4. Drinking Games – These include supplies.
Drinking games and pre-game should be synonymous. Whether you’re doing a power hour or partaking in beer pong. Drinking games are the heart of every pre-game. You will need supplies to play them. Some of our favorite Drinking games:
5. The right crowd – Shun creepy people
So you we’re brilliant enough to invite over the woman you’ve had your eye on for months. What you didn’t account for is you invited your buddy and he brought along creepy dave and now he’s made her entire group of friends uncomfortable, which has resulted in them leaving your pregame.
Did we leave any out? Let us know!
#Pre-game
Plan a great bachelor party
How to plan a great Bachelor Party
Whether you’ve been best freinds for years or family, being the best man of a wedding is an honor and should be treated as such. Your performance as a best man will be judged by the wedding party and attendes, so try not to screw it up. There are several integral parts of the posistion from the speech/toast to the tux fittings, but no other part is as important as the bachelor party. The best man is responsible for planning and organizing the bachelor party. This might be the last taste of freedom the groom ever has again in his life, don’t let him down. No matter the scale the bachelor party will be rememebred for the rest of your lives. We’ll make sure you’re prepared for this awesome occasion with our bachelor party guide below.
Bachelor Party Overview
This is a bachelor party, not a freindly wine and dine, or a brunch and munch. This is your best friend’s last night of freedom, so don’t let him down. Plan accordingly and make sure he has the time of his life.
Choose your posse wisely
As the best man it’s your chief responsibility to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. The Groom doesn’t need to be getting harrased on his wedding day by his wife, because one of your friends decided to open his mouth about what shennanigans went down on his last night of freedom.
Plan a budget
Let’s be honest, whenever booze is involved tabs can grow out of control quick. Make sure you have a strong handle on possible finances. The last thing you want is to be chasing debt for the next five years of your life, because you thought it was a great idea to put all the budget money on black. This tip really only applies in Vegas or casinos.
Get a ride
No one in the party should have to taxi everyone around, it’s a recipe for disaster that can lead to DUIs and the sober guy wanting to leave early. Make sure you schedule transportation whether it’s a limo, party bus, taxi, or friend.
Bachelor Party ideas
Football game / tailgating
Bar / club crawl
Destination Bachelor Party (Another country or city)
Road Trip Bachelor Party (Rent an RV?)
Rent a beach house
Rent a Cabin
Bachelor party swag (Custom Tshits, hats)
Event Party (Mardi Gras)
Obligatory strip club
Rent a club or venu
Bachelor party games & party favors
Scavenger hunt list (really fun in Vegas)
Pre-game & party
Bachelor party Destinations
Las Vegas
Chicago
New York City (NYC)
Boston
Atlantic City
Los Angeles
Honolulu
New Orleans
Austin
Dallas (strip club capitol of the U.S.)
San Diego
Miami
Amsterdam
Munich
Budapest
Barcelona
Mexico
Montreal
Dublin
Ibiza
Bangkok
Sydney
DENY, DENY, & DENY SOME MORE! #bachelorparty
How to open a bar
How to start a bar
We’re going to list out everything you need to know to start your own bar business and all the possible little things you need to know before diving in head first!
Bar opening costs and financing
The most important question in any business.. How are you going to pay for this business? A lot of thought will have to go into how you’re going to raise enough capital to get your bar/club business off the
ground. You can go the traditonal route, but it makes the most sense to take whatever route that minimizes the amount of risk you have to take on.
Examples of financing:
Chances are you’re going to need a very solid business plan to secure any kind of traditonal funding.
A simple overview for a Bar Business Plan:
Do the research on your local area and figure out the best location for your business with solid parking, etc. Location, location, location.
Location
In a perfect world you would own the building and land your business in located on, but in the real world you’ll most likely have to pay rent on a lease. You want a high traffic area that isn’t a hassle for customers to find or navigate to. Parking is a really big deal and one of your priorities should be to ensure that you have enough of it for your customers. You can also invest in an upcoming area and ride the wave of success that can come with a city investing in certain areas for rennovation. You might be able to secure cheap real estate in a dicey area that you know is planned for city rennovation.
Beer & Liquor Permits
This is the most vital attribute to every bar business. Every state and city has different liquor laws and are usually heavily enforced. You will want to do extensive research on your local guidelines and laws before you even think about opening your doors. Liquor permits can also be very expensive in some area so budget accordingly. There is nothing more useless in life than a bar that can serve alcohol to it’s customers.
Bar Employees & Security
Every member of the business should know how to operate the bar inside and out. It would be a good idea that every operating executive know to how bartend and cook/serve the food. You will want to take a crashcourse in bartending and hire capable bartenders and freindly people. The majority of bar-goers decide where to go based on their experiences with the bartenders and how they are treated by them. Hiring an excellent staff of bartenders can take your bar a very long way.
Another very important attribute is a security staff. No one wants to go to a bar where they don’t feel safe. The majority of people want to have a good time and feel safe. Hiring a solid security staff can also take you a long way in maintaining a quality bar business.
Bar/Club Entertainment & marketing tips
Your bar should Offer creative drink& food promos for various sporting events(boxing, football, mma, etc.)
Play good music. No one wants to rock out to heavy metal unless you’re operating a biker bar. Your music selection should target your customer base. Hire a great DJ and also make sure he takes requests.
Speaking of music..Purchase a solid sound system.
Dance floor
The dance floor can really make your bar stand out and create another atmosphere once the late night comes. Your sports bar can turn into a great club. A dance floor brings women to the bar/club and women in turn bring men.
Most women won’t want to stand and drink beers all night, they’re looking to have a good time and let loose. Your bar having a dance floor let’s them do this.
Live Bands
Every local band has a local following of some sort. These followers are friends and fans. Those friends and fans also have friends. This brings more people with money in their pocket into your bar and also spices the bar up with different entertainment. The obvious downside to a band is you will have to pay them, so only book worth while bands.
Some things will always sell
swimsuit competitions
Mud wreslting
Model competition for each holiday
once again.. women = men = money
Military!
It’s not a secret that our men & women of the military love to drink and hit the bar/clubs. The majority of military personnel are paid well and go out in large groups. These groups are known to spend a lot of money!
You will want to do what you can to draw these people to your business with various military specials and deals. We have seen buddies of ours who were in the military spend hundreds nightly in the bars.
Soft opening
Bar Essentials
Departing tip
The greatest attribute to your possible bar business success is not if you know how to operate a bar or not(hire a consultant), but your overall knowledge of the local area your bar is located in. research your local area heavily and open a bar that you know will work for the local population. Know the people how will be frequenting your business and make sure you’re offering them what they want!
Discuss! #openabar
Top 10 Underrated Liquor Brands
Top 10 Underrated Liquor Brands and best liquor
I always find myself overwhelmed with possible drink choices when I go out with friends for a night on the town, and end up taking the easy route with a Simple Whiskey or Rum drink. Pour in a little whiskey, add in a little cola. My night has begun; It gets old after a while.
After years of doing so at an alarming rate, ordering the same set of drinks and shots when i’m out with friends or simply craving a drink. I figured out this just didn’t stop at the type of drink or shot. I also found myself sticking with the same two or three brands of liquor as well. In an attempt to become more sporadic, I began to research various types of alcohol and liquor brands. I quickly found that there was an entirely new world of booze and liquor I had yet to conquer.
Chances are your local bar offers thousands of possible liquor and Alcohol combinations, so where to start? I’ll attempt to get you started with this list of the top ten liquor brands you’re not drinking.
I’m fully aware that some people out there have tried all of these liquor brands and are awesome at everything in life. This top 10 list wasn’t made for you. I made it for the other 99% of the people on earth.
Country: Germany
Alcohol Strength: 35% (70 Proof)
Hard to find?: No
I love everything about Barenjager. The taste, the alcohol proof, how fun it is to take shots of. Barenjager is a honey liqueur that packs a strong punch. When you first take a shot of it, it hits you with a strong alcohol taste. Within 3 seconds that taste turns into sweet beautiful honey nectar of the gods. Whenever I have friends coming over to pregame, i’ll grab a bottle at the store; so we can take shots. It’s a lot of fun when taking shots with your friends and watching everyones faces. Women seem to love this stuff as well.
Country: Bermuda
Alcohol Strength: 40% (80 Proof)
Hard to find?: No
Goslings black rum isn’t your typical rum liquor brand. First off it’s black, and offers a unique taste. It feels so much different than every other rum liquor brand i’ve ever tried. I love the taste of goslings black rum and was tempted to make it number one on this liquor brand list. I could see how some might not like it, because it’s so different than convential tasting rum. In my opinion Goslings Black rum tastes best mixed with cola.
Country: Poland
Alcohol Strength: 40% (80 Proof)
Hard to find?: Slightly
In keeping the same theme as the liquor brand mentioned before it, Luksusowa Vodka isn’t your typical vodka. It’s a potato vodka that brings amazing quality for the price it costs. I think it tastes better than the vast majority of premium vodka liquor brands and costs half as much. This vodka seems to be a little known vodka that deserves much more credit.
Country: Mexico
Alcohol Strength: 40% (80 Proof)
Hard to find?: Moderate
This aged tequila is so money. It has a unique taste which is pretty hard for tequila liquor brands. It’s easily one of the most underrated tequila brands in the world. Voodoo Tiki Tequila in my opinion is far better than Patron, Cabo Wabo, etc. The only con with this tequila is that it can sometimes be a little hard to find at your local store.
Country: Italy
Alcohol Strength: 28% (56 Proof)
Hard to find?: No
Disaronno has really stepped up their marketing over the last couple of years, but I still don’t see it as a widly popular alcohol brand. Disaronno is a type of Amaretto that has an excellent almond flavor. This liqueur brand goes down well straight on the rocks or mixed. I personally love drinking Disaronno on the rocks. It’s just sweet enough to taste great, but still not be a total chick drink.
Country: Italy
Alcohol Strength: 41% (82 Proof)
Hard to find?: Slightly
Sambuca is known to taste strongly like licorice when consumed. This alone makes Sambuca a hate it or love it liquor brand. If you don’t like the taste of licorice, then I would say you wouldn’t like this as well. If you do like the taste of licorice then go snag a bottle and you won’t be let down.
Country: USA (KY)
Alcohol Strength: 40% (80 Proof)
Hard to find?: No
A little known secret is that this gin liquor brand goes through the same process as other top shelf gin brands. This gin is severly underrated and avalable pretty much everywhere. If you like gin, do yourself a favor and get a bottle.
This gin goes through the same process as most top shelf gin. It might be the most underrated gin available in mass.
Country: USA (KY)
Alcohol Strength: 40% (80 Proof)
Hard to find?: No
I think Jim Bean hit a home rum with this liquor brand. Red stag has a great unique taste, but still is able to hold it’s man power. Red stag is a Bourbon that’s infused with black cherry. If you’re a boubon drinker and looking for something different and fun, then this might be your best shot.
Country: Italy (Southern)
Alcohol Strength: Varies
Hard to find?: Moderate
Limoncello is a great tasting lemon liqueur with a great kick. Everytime I visit Italy, I make it a must to pick up some limoncello. There’s a degree of nostalgia whenever I drink limoncello that brings back memories of Italy and great times.
Country: U.S Virgin Islands
Alcohol Strength: 46% (92 Proof)
Hard to find?: No
I have a love affair with this rum. It’s my personal favorite and I have strong bias towards it. For this reason I decided to put it a little lower on the list, I didn’t want my bias taking over. This rum has a nip of caramel and a serious kick at 92 proof. This rum is delcious and strong. It also doesn’t hurt that Sailor Jerry himself was known to be a kick ass tattoo artist and all around guy. The original most interesting man in the world? I say so.
Want more?
I aimed to make this list simple for people out there to find great brands that aren’t overly mainstream. If you have any other brand suggestions, then send them in or comment below. I’m all about sharing the wealth!