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Opposites Attract
Black and white is a classic combination that is always au courant.
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From left: Sterling overlay
decanter, $2,400,
Brooklyn’s
Antiques,
(720) 934-1264,
brooklynsantiques.com;
Sterling overlay decanter, $750,
Brooklyn’s Antiques,
(720) 934-1264
brooklynsantiques.com; Gothic-style
sterling
overlay decanter, $1,500,
McDowell’s Antiques,
(303) 777-0601
tias.com/stores/rma
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Vintage Collections
You need not possess a perfect palate to appreciate fine wine. Likewise, splurging on antique wine is not solely for connoisseurs. Aficionados of both wine and antiques will find that building a collection of fine bottles and accessories can be deliciously easy
Heather Lauren Quiroga reports
Wine Accessory “Must-Haves”
The popularity of wine antiques has skyrocketed along with
growing interest and appreciation of wine. Wine antiques run the gamut from
decorative (vintage posters, for example) to functional (corkscrews, funnels
and jugs), and amazingly inexpensive to unbelievably costly. To truly open a
bottle with style, hunt down an antique corkscrew, which can range from a few
dollars to a few thousand dollars depending on age, material and rarity. Since
they are easily shipped, acquiring a perfect conversation-piece corkscrew is as
easy as a virtual visit to England's
Corkscrew Centre for Antique Corkscrews, corkscrewcentre.com. Finding an old
silver wine funnel (used in the decanting process to pour the wine from the
bottle into the decanter) is easily done as most silver dealers carry examples
of this popular collectible. Serious collectors seek out English Georgian
funnels popular between 1770 and 1830. Alternatively, a wine antique can be as
small as a coaster or as large as a wine rack. The possibilities for building a
collection that speaks to your personal style are endless.
Smart and Stylish Wine Storage
Any oenophile (wine connoisseur) will tell you that the
golden rule of storage is to ensure proper and consistent temperature (about 55
degrees F) If space and budget are tight, you might consider housing your small
collection in a converted 1940s radio cabinet, or in a few stacked wooden wine
crates. Larger collections can be impressively kept in French wine cages (cages
a vin) which can hold as many as 200 or 300 bottles each. If your wine
collection, cellar space and aspirations are grand, look to the Denver-based
master stone masons of Tuscan Wine Cellars, (303) 927-6833, tuscanwinecellars.com,
who proudly incorporate hand-forged iron elements and architectural antiques
into custom-made Old World-style cellars.
Rare and Fine on the Block: A Wine-Buying Auction Primer
The auction block is one of the oldest arenas for fair market
trading of wine. Last year, American wine auction activity reached an all-time
high of $240 million dollars. Thanks to the Internet, many established and
reputable wine retailers have found a new way to reach collectors. Bidding on a
bottle or case at auction is an exciting way to find old, rare and fine bottles
not available at your corner wine shop. Buy through a reputable wine auction
house such as: Acker, Merrall & Condit, ackerwines.com; Hart Davis Hart
Wine Company, hdhwine.com; and Napa Valley Vintners, napavintners.com. A good
catalogue should explain basic terms and desirability factors pertaining to
your varietal or region of interest, and will always have a pre-sale estimate
that represents an expert's opinion of what the lot is worth. Ask questions,
know the maximum you wish to pay and stick to that figure.
Vintage, like age, is relative. In collectibles, the term
“vintage” refers to 20th century objects not yet old enough to be called an
antique (an antique is generally considered to be 100 years or older.) Beware
of this term when shopping for collectible old wines. For wine, “vintage”
denotes something quite specific, and different. A vintage red Bordeaux,
for example, can hail from 1894 or 2004. This moniker denotes a wine made from
grapes that were all, or mostly, grown in a specific year (though individual
countries and regions set their own guidelines in terms of exceptions and rules
for using this designation.)
Prices and prestigious labels aside, a great wine collection
is one that grows as you do. It ages as you age and changes as your tastes
change. A popular Cuban proverb says: “Cheese, wine and friends must be old to
be good.” Why not dip your toes into this brave new world of online wine
auctions and find an old bottle or two to add dimension to your cellar?
Complete the experience with a few thoughtfully chosen antiques and you will be
proud to share your cellar, and your wines, with friends.
 BUYER BEWARE
Some of the largest and oldest wine auction houses in the business were served U.S. Department of Justice subpoenas in March 2007, under suspicion of having sold counterfeit wines. Thanks to expertly reproduced authentic labels and the lack of serial numbers or other identifying marks on older bottles or corks, it is estimated that counterfeit wines may occupy as much as five percent of the auction market. Cooperating with the federal authorities' investigation, the venerable old auction house Christie's issues this statement, "Christie's will not sell any lot that we know or have reason to believe is inauthentic of counterfeit. We take all appropriate steps to establish authenticity, and work with head experts, authorities and institutions in the relevant field to research the property that we sell."
Though counterfeit is nearly impossible to detect without tasting the wine (an obvious no-no before the sale), the good news is that unless you are purchasing an extremely distinct wine such as the $155,350 case of vintage case of 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild that recently sold at an auction conducted by "America's Oldest and Finest Wine Shop" you probably will not run into a counterfeit. Just as the serious counterfeiter does not spend the time and effort to reproduce an antique chair or cabinet of minimal value, mid-priced wines are fairly safe from the criminal element.
For reputable sources look to Acker, Merral & Cundit, established in 1820, which boasts the sale of over $50 million worth of the world's finest wines since entering the wine auction market in 1998. They, along with others, such as Chicago's Hart Davis Hart Wine Company, hdhwine.com, and the world famous, wildly successful Napa Valley Vintner's charity wine auctions, napavintners.com, are at the forefront of this explosive trend.
Silver plate
champagne bucket, $95,
An Inviting Place,
(303) 881-7016
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Formerly a fine-art specialist at Butterfields of San
Francisco and auctioneer
at the Harvey Clar Estate Auction Gallery, CH&L’s Denver-based antiques
expert Heather Lauren Quiroga can be contacted at appraiserHLQ@comcast.net or
by calling (303) 744-0140.
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