Cheers! Wine and port is the toast of auction.

A WIDE selection of fine vintage wine and port was the toast of Moore Allen & Innocent’s general sale on Friday, November 23.

Among the best sellers was a single bottle of Chateau Duhart Milon Rothschild 1982 Grand Cru Classé. With an estimate of between £100 and £150, the hammer finally fell at £300.

Meanwhile bottle of 1973 Grand Vin de Château Latour 1er Grand Cru Classé Appellation Pauillac Controllé was bought for £100 and ten bottle of Grahams 1966 port, carrying an estimate of £300 to £350, was sold for £540.

Auctioneer Philip Allwood said: “The wine and port performed very well. There were many private buyers in the room bidding on the wines, some of them collectors and some of them, no doubt, looking for a special wine to drink at Christmas.

“The market for wine, champagne and port is extremely healthy at the moment. For anyone thinking of selling at auction, now would seem to be an excellent time to do so.”

The biggest surprise of the day, however, was reserved for a small George III table on an associated tripod base. This late 18th century table carried an estimate of £50 but when the hammer eventually fell bidders had taken the price to £700, fourteen times its estimate.

“With the original base, this table might have achieved a few thousand pounds,” said Philip. “However, we were delighted at the final sale price.”