Sixteen bottles of Chateau Haut-Brion wine estimated to be worth HK$2 million to HK$4 million will be auctioned at the end of this month to support the Children's Medical Foundation.
The foundation will use the money to provide health-care services for newborns in rural regions in Sichuan . 'We're absolutely excited about such a generous donation,' foundation executive director Melissa Moi said. 'We had never had anything as unique as handmade consoles and beautiful wine like this.'
The eight bottles of red wine and an equal number of white - contained in two limited edition consoles - were produced between 1935 and 2009.
Jeannie Cho Lee, a member of the foundation's board of directors and the first Asian awarded the Master of Wine title, said the wines were rarely sold in auctions. 'These bottles have never been moved really and they are usually not for sale. Those in auctions are usually resale items and not directly from the chateau,' she said. The wines were contained in two specially designed, limited edition consoles.
Prince Robert of Luxembourg, whose family owns French estate Chateau Haut-Brion, and furniture maker Lord Linley commissioned the limited series of 20 wine consoles and cases with inlaid table and chest made from rare wood to hold eight bottles each. The console also has drawers with silverware designed by an Italian jeweller.
The total sale proceeds for the two consoles donated to the foundation would be used for establishing a neonatal intensive care unit in a Sichuan hospital, Moi said. The foundation will choose a hospital, and provide funding for doctors and nurses to receive training in Shanghai. Moi expected it to be launched in 2013.