Interesting news from Penfolds: the fabled Australian winemaker has recently unveiled the most expensive wine in the world right now. It’s the only wine in the world that has no screw caps or corks, being entirely encased in glass. Each of the Ampoules that contain the exquisite liquor comes at a staggering $168,000, containing the Penfolds 2004 Block 42 – an extremely rare booze that comes from a single vineyard, produced from the oldest continuously producing Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the world.
Such exquisiteness requires the hands of ultimate connoisseurs, while the glass receptacle is a work of art itself. The red liquor comes suspended within a wooden Jarrah cabinet. The hardest part is to actually open the container – it requires the attention of a senior member of the Penfolds Winemaking team, who will be immediately sent to the buyer’s location with a specially-designed sterling silver tool decked with a tungsten tip, to open the Ampoule. The wine is then to be served in a superb sterling silver tastevin.
Peter Gag, the Chief Winemaker at Penfolds, was present at the global launch ceremony, in Moscow, Russia. A total of 12 Ampoules have been crafted – one of them due to remain to the Penfolds Museum of Wine, another one will be auctioned for charity, while the rest will be available for purchase – 3 in Asia, 3 in Australia and New Zealand, 2 in Europe and 2 in North America. Too bad we won’t even get to smell it.
[Businessweek]
