A bottle of 1811 Foster Ungeheuer Riesling from the winery Bassermann-Jordan**** in the Pfalz achieved only slightly more than the lower estimated price of 10,000 euros at an online auction with 10,250 euros. According to the auction portal Catwiki, it is likely the oldest German Riesling from a single vineyard ever auctioned in Europe. The bottle was stored for over 200 years in the winery's vaulted cellar, was regularly checked, and re-corked. It was filled exclusively with wine from the same vintage. At a tasting for the 300th anniversary of the winery in 2018, the wine magazine 'Decanter' described the wine as 'fresh, lively, and with flawless balance' and concluded: 'The fact that the wine was 207 years old left us speechless.' After the auction, only eight bottles of this wine remain.

Wines from the 1811 vintage are also referred to as 'Comet Wines'. The year produced exceptionally good wine qualities due to a mild winter, an early warm spring, and a long sunny autumn. Since the comet Flaugergues was also visible that year, these favorable circumstances were attributed to it.

The highest bidder is registered as a Frenchman. He raised the price five days before the end of the auction from 6,600 to 9,000 euros and then added to the final price of 10,250 euros when he was surpassed at 9,750 euros. A total of 56 bids were placed. The upper estimated price reached up to 13,000 euros.

(al; Image: Catwiki)

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