Sotheby’s crosses channel for Paris sale

London-based auction house Sotheby’s is to host a Parisian auction offering last minute Christmas treats for well-heeled wine lovers.

One the seven settings at Sotheby’s ‘À Table’

On Wednesday 17 December, Sotheby’s is holding its first ever auction in the French capital to feature wine.

Described as ‘a unique and eclectic’ sale, ‘À Table’ will involve seven tables, each set in a different style or era and including decorative arts, Old Master paintings, glassware and some sought after vintages. Wine highlights range from a case of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Assortment 1999 (€28,000-36,000) to six bottles of Château Cheval Blanc 2000 (€5,500 – 6,000).

“We’ve already had lots of interest from Asian buyer, and I think the rest will probably be from the UK,” said Sotheby’s wine specialist Frédéric Guyot du Repaire, who looks after the French market. While “some big French families buy wine from us in London,” he described the general interest in these sales as “very minimal” in France. However, he felt some of the country’s fine wine merchants were beginning to show interest. “In terms of private

Champagne glass, circa 1900

individuals they are mostly from Paris or Nice and Monaco, and they buy to drink, not to collect.”

The wines are from a handful of “high-profile collectors” mainly based in the South of France, and

there is glassware from circa 1900 including a set of Parisian claret jugs and some cut crystal wine glasses (Vienna, circa 1900) with the Rothschild coat of arms.