Bidding closed yesterday on Sotheby’s Wine’s online sale of limited-edition bottles of Tuscan estate Ornellaia’s Vendemmia d’Artista 2017 vintage by Tomás Saraceno, bringing an overall total of £193,980 / $260,632. All 12 lots were sold, with proceeds benefiting the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation’s ‘Mind’s Eye’ Programme. Each bottle in the sale was personalised by the acclaimed Argentinian artist Tomás Saraceno, who was invited by Ornellaia to interpret the character of the estate’s 2017 wine, “Solare” (Radiant).
The sale was led by the impressive and unique 9-litre 1 of 1 Salmanazar, which sold for £42,700 / $57,251. The successful bidders also secured a range of exclusive experiences on offer with the Imperial and Salmanazar large formats, from a visit to the Ornellaia Estate with overnight stay and harvest experience, to private dinners for six people at Ristorante Ornellaia in Zurich, at Shun Restaurant in New York, and Tosca Restaurant in Hong Kong.
“This is a fantastic result for our tenth auction with Ornellaia’s exceptional Vendemmia d’Artista project. Once again, the marriage of art and wine for which Ornellaia is renowned, has proved impossible to resist, with collectors in the US, Europe and Asia competing to acquire these stunning bottles.”
Every year since the release of Ornellaia 2006, a contemporary artist has created a site-specific work of art and a series of limited-edition labels as part of the Vendemmia d’Artista project. In 2019, Ornellaia announced its support of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation as part of a three year partnership which will see the expansion of the museum’s innovative programme, ‘Mind's Eye’, developed by its education department in 2008 to help individuals who are blind or have low vision experience art through all their senses.
Full results are available to view here.
CONTACT INFO
London | Matthew Floris | Matthew.Floris@Sothebys.com| +44 (0)20 7293 6000
About Sotheby’s Wine
Sotheby’s Wine’s annual worldwide sales in 2019 significantly exceeded $100 million for the second consecutive year, led by a 20% increase in auction sales to a total of $118 million – the highest-ever annual total in Sotheby’s history.
Sotheby’s Wine, with a store located within the auction house’s worldwide headquarters on New York’s Upper East Side, offers a carefully curated selection of wines from the world’s most prestigious producers and important regions. Expertly assembled by Sotheby’s’ experienced specialists, the ever-evolving selection is built upon lasting relationships with winemakers from across the globe, with prices beginning at just $13.95. With bottles that are ready for immediate consumption, in addition to investment-worthy wines from highly sought-after vintages, each wine is chosen for its expression of its region and value for money. Each bottle selected by Sotheby’s specialist team must pass the brand’s signature “three-glass” tasting guideline, meaning that the tasters must like it enough to want to drink three glasses, or the standard amount enjoyed when sharing a bottle.
The Sotheby’s Wine Store in New York City is located at 1334 York Avenue, and is open Monday through Friday from 10AM to 7PM and Saturday from 10AM to 6PM. Along with a retail location in Hong Kong Sotheby’s Wine also offers all bottles online, 24 hours, at www.sothebyswine.com.
