| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Genre | Wine merchant |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Founder(s) | Stephen Williams |
| Headquarters | 53 Queen Anne Street, London, England |
| Website | http://www.antique-wine.com |
The Antique Wine Company is a wine merchant specialising in fine and rare wines, based in London. It was founded by Stephen Williams in 1982 and now has over 20,000 clients in 70 countries.[1] Since the start the company has specialised in exceptionally fine wine and currently holds over 10,000 bottles of the world's finest vintages in its cellars. The company is known for record breaking wine collections and fine wine events. Its range of services includes: sourcing rare wines, private wine master classes and cellar planning.[1][2]
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Together with cabinet maker Viscount David Linley, The Antique Wine Company has created the Grand Chateau Series. These handcrafted wine cabinets with architectural models of the top nine chateaux in Bordeaux each contain 18 bottles from the corresponding estate, produced during the 20th and 21st centuries.[1][3] The Château d'Yquem model is accompanied by a vertical collection of Chateau d’Yquem, spanning 141 consecutive vintages starting from 1868. This collection also includes several letters and memorabilia from the Château archives. It is valued at £1m. The other chateaux are each priced at £149,000.[1][4] In 2006 The Antique Wine Company sold a 135-year vertical collection (containing every vintage from 1860 to 2003) for $1.5 million, one of the highest prices ever paid for a single lot of wine.[5]
Cooperating with the technological transfer unit at the Centre d'Etude Nucléaire of the University of Bordeaux, The Antique Wine Company provides a wine authentification service. The glass in the bottles is tested by ion beam analysis. By analysing the X-rays emitted when bottles are placed under an ion beam produced by a particle accelerator, researchers can verify the age of the bottle.[6][7][8]
In July 2011 The Antique Wine Company broke the world record of the most valuable bottle of white wine ever sold. The bottle was a 1811 Chateau d'Yquem and was sold for £75,000 to former sommelier Christian Vanneque. The bottle will go on display in one of Mr Vanneque's two restaurants in Bali, the SIP Sunset Grill. But ultimately Mr Vanneque plans to drink his purchase. "I will never resell it, I'm not a fancy collector. I'm not rich. I work very hard. This is important that it's not connected to investing. I'm a sommelier. Wine is for drinking."[9][10][11]
In November 2011, The Antique Wine Company purchased the top lot at the Hospices de Beaune wine auction in Beaune, France. Known as La Pièce de la Président, the lot consisted of 460 litres of Corton red wine from the Clos du Roi Grand Cru vineyard. The lot was auctioned off by actor Christian Clavier and model Inès de la Fressange for €110,000.[12][13]