HONG KONG, 1 October Sotheby's opened its autumn sales series in Hong Kong with a two-day offering of a spectacular selection of wines and whiskies from around the world. Featuring the single-owner sale of Wines from the Cellar of FUX Restaurant, the two auctions brought a combined total of HK$72,032,559 / US$9,223,048, soaring over pre-sale expectations (est. HK$38-55 million / US$4.8-7 million), with almost 1,500 lots sold and an average lot value of HK$46,800 / US$6,000.

Jamie Ritchie, Sotheby’s Worldwide Head of Wine, commented: “The outstanding result of today’s FUX sale shows that buyers truly value the provenance of single-owner wine collections that have impeccable condition, especially when they have an interesting story behind them. Prices for Domaine de la Romanée-Conti reached new benchmarks selling for 250% of the low estimate. There was particularly strong interest in the larger format DRC, which achieved 300% of the low estimate. Today’s buyers are clearly ready to go to great lengths to secure the top vintages from the greatest Burgundy producers.”

Adam Bilbey, Head of Sotheby’s Wine Asia, said: “European bidders competed with collectors from all over Asia, which is a testament to the quality and variety of fine wines and whiskies we had on offer. It was an honour to present at auction for the first time the complete set of the ‘58 Card Player Series’, which achieved an impressive HK$3.5 million / US$450,000. We were also delighted to offer wines direct from the cellars of Cayuse which sold over the high estimate. These results emphasise Sotheby’s global reach. This carries on what has already been a fantastic year for Sotheby’s Wine in Hong Kong and we look forward to 2018.”

Peter Strolz, Owner of Fux Restaurant, commended: “I am very happy with today's result and hope that those lucky enough to win some bottles will have lots of fun drinking them. I would like to thank Adam, Jamie and the whole team at Sotheby's for their huge effort and support in making the auction such a great success! I was very impressed with their professionalism and great attention to detail. Bottoms up from Austria!”

Sale Summary: Wines from the Cellar of FUX Restaurant, 30 September

Wines from the Cellar of Fux Restaurant, the award-winning contemporary restaurant in Lech, Austria, achieved a total of HK$29,482,712 / US$3,774,966. DRC’s Romanée-Conti 2005 commanded the top price when three bottles sold for HK$612,500 / US$78,424 (est. HK$260,000-350,000), while the 2006 vintage, also on offer in a three-bottle lot, realised HK$465,500 / US$59,603 (est. HK$220,000-300,000).

Though Sotheby's has offered more than 50 single-owner wine sales from private collections over the years, FUX is only the second restaurant which has had an entire Sotheby’s auction dedicated to its wines.

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