wine bottle r1 million

Photo: Supplied

A R1 million bottle of wine? Cape blend sells for record price!

Oh, you better believe it: One wealthy wine enthusiast has just spent nearly R1 million on this bottle – but what makes it so expensive?

wine bottle r1 million

Photo: Supplied

We know wine hangovers can be bad, but surely waking up the morning after to realise you’ve spent the best part of R1 million on a bottle certainly trumps any of the wild nights we can account for. Strauss & Co has confirmed that ‘one of the rarest blends in South Africa’ was sold to an affluent bidder over the weekend.

  • By the time commission fees and all other factors were totalled up, the vino went for R967 300

Why pay R1 million for a bottle of wine?

The Grande Constance 1821 is a very special item: It was thought to be part of Napoleon’s own private stash. However, in the year that the French General died, his ‘personal harvest’ went elsewhere. Some 200 years later, elusive bottles of the age-old plonk are popping up for sale – and a record bid was tabled a few days ago

According to Strauss & Co, the total paid for this wine bottle DOUBLES a record-high price set just months ago:

“By 1821, Constantia Wyn was arguably at the height of its fame, universally known ‘to soften the temper of ministers, and to sweeten the lips of royalty‘. Much of the 1821 harvest was reserved for the exclusive enjoyment of Napoleon.”

“However, after his death that year, a supply of the wine re-entered the market. Unlike the bottle sold at the April 2021 Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction which had been recorked, on this occasion, the wine was sold in its original state.”

Cape blend draws ‘record bid’

The scarcely believable purchase means that one lucky oenophile (wine lover, look it up) is now in possession of the most sought-after wine in Mzansi. Those who organised the auction described the wine itself as being ‘fresh and complex’ – which is some going for a beverage that was first corked two centuries ago.

“The rarest South African wine is the Grand Constance 1821. It was purchased at auction in London as part of a larger collection in 1983. It is of incredible condition considering its age and only a handful of labeled bottles remain today. Noted for its freshness and complexity, this 200-year-old wine offers a fine investment proposition or hedonistic pleasure.”