El Bulli sale makes HK$14.1m

The first part of Sotheby’s sale of the El Bulli cellar was 100% sold in Hong Kong yesterday.

The collection realised HK$14.1 million (£1.2m), far above the HK$9m high estimate and all 445 wine lots were sold.

Topping the collection was wine of the moment, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, three bottles of the 1990 fetching HK$563,500 (£48,124).

One of the additional lots, dinner with head chef Ferran Adrià in Barcelona, went from HK$40,000 to HK$220,500 (£18,831) after furious bidding between 20 clients.

Alongside the El Bulli sale was another wine auction, the eleventh part of “The Classic Cellar From A Great American Collector”, which was 97.5% sold by lot and 99.8% by value – raising HK$29m in total.

Cumulative sales from this cellar now top US$52m.

All of the money raised through the El Bulli sale will go to the El Bulli Foundation, the “creative culinary think tank” the restaurant has become since its closure.

The second part of the El Bulli sale will take place in New York on 26 April. Taking place today (4 April) in Hong Kong is a fine and rare wine sale including an ex-cellar consignment of Vega Sicilia.