The Winery Aran of Artsakh

Christie’s said the bottle of Perrier-Jouët ‘Brut Millesimé’ from the ‘outstanding’ 1874 Champagne vintage sold for £42,875 ($56,981, €50,292), far outstripping its pre-sale high estimate of £15,000. The winning bidder will also get a VIP experience at Perrier-Jouët. It was part of a collection of rare vintages sourced directly from Maison Perrier-Jouët and 100% sold by Christie’s at a wider wine and spirits auction held in London on 2 and 3 December. While the 1874 bottle’s ap ...

Colin Hay, a professor of political economy with a special interest in the Place de Bordeaux, considers the different ways of approaching en primeur purchasing, ahead of this year’s 2021 campaign. Buying en primeur wines is a rather strange and, arguably, arcane system of buying and selling in which the consumer purchases the wine typically in the early summer following the vintage even though it will not be bottled and delivered for a further 12-18 months. It is, in effect, a futures mark ...

Christmas, famously, is not about religion any more. But as a Decanter reader, you’ll also know that it’s not about giving, family or food either. No, it’s about drink. The one time of year when we get to open the good stuff without anyone questioning what we’re doing. And of course, there’s no shortage of advice as to what form those bottles should take. Every year, hacks in newspapers, magazines and websites tell us how to make the big day go with a bang. But these don’t correspond with the re ...