The forthcoming sale is already being touted as carrying the highest estimate ever placed on a wine auction in history.

The estimate? A cool HK$147 million to HK$206 million (US$19 million to US$26 million).

The collection? It features 2,704 lots encompassing 16,889 bottles.

The wines? A wide and eclectic variety of bottles, from Burgundy, Champagne, Rhône, Bordeaux and Italy.  

The wines offered are from prestigious producers, the highlights of which include Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (more than 250 lots, with an estimated value of over HK$41 million), Domaine Coche-Dury (more than 600 lots, with an estimated value of over HK$37 million), Dom Pérignon (more than 350 lots, with an estimated value of over HK$13 million).

Yet that’s not to say there aren’t a couple of interesting, unusual choices: Maison and Domaine Leroy (more than 80 lots with a value of over HK$7 million) and Domaine Guigal (more than 140 lots, with an estimated value of over HK$5 million).

“I am quite a maverick in my investment style, across all asset classes ... same goes for wine purchasing,” the seller, who has requested anonymity for the interview, says.

He jokes: “Blue Chip names always bored me.”

While he prefers to remain unnamed, we can reveal that the seller – aged in his mid-40s – made his fortune in finance and real estate.

We chatted with the mysterious seller over email to learn more about the lots offered.

Why are you asking to remain anonymous?

I think most people in the world of finance, investment, real estate, cars and yachting know who I am anyway. I don’t see much added value by putting my name next to these legendary wine producers. They are the legends, not me.

By all means, I am very proud to be associated with them. But by owning and running a completely private organisation globally, I retain a lot of privacy, which is the ultimate luxury in life.

Drinking and sharing a selection of wine with friends privately is the pleasure that comes from having this collection.

How long have you been collecting wines?

For about 26 years, [starting] from my university days in the early ’90s.

The total of 16,889 bottles of wine is a huge number – how long did it take to build up this collection?

I have built up a collection of over US$100 million [over 26 years]. In addition to appreciating fine wine, I see it as an asset class for investment.

So, over the years, I have put together a small team of professionals who just look after my cellar. We purchase about US$10 million of wine annually on a constant basis, and every 10 years or so I try to re-organise the collection.

In 2008 I sold a not dissimilar amount of wine, at that time I sold mostly Bordeaux. I try to keep the cellar value between US$100 million to US$150 million at any given time. I always keep an eye on the cellar, just as I keep an eye on all of my other asset classes of investments.

Why are you selling your wine collection now?

[This sale] is a tidying up of [my] collection. I tend to have the discipline to do that once a decade, instead of just buying constantly. It is a healthy turnover for a collection of this value and size.

Most of the lots I am selling now, if not all, I have kept behind examples of the same wines. So, this represents a selection of wine across the collection, but not affecting the variety I will have going forward.

Which lot is your favourite – and why?

My top love is vintage Champagne. Dom Pérignons from the ’60s to ’70s to 1982, blanc and rosé, are my favourites. Then Coche-Dury is by far my favourite white wine producer, and Domaine de la Romanée Conti is my favourite Pinot Noir producer.

But if I have to choose, then Dom Pérignon from the vintages 1969, ’71, ’73, ’75, ’76, ’78, ’82 are my favourites. Dom Pérignon was the first wine that I was introduced to during family gatherings as a teenager, and it symbolises a lifestyle more than just a drink.

To me Champagne and especially Dom Pérignon represents a celebration of life and appreciation of earlier eras in time. It is always special to celebrate important occasions in life with Champagne, and recall a bit of charm from older days.

Apart from wines, what else do you collect, or have an interest in collecting?

I have investments in every asset class. I would not say that I actually purchase for the sake of [collecting]. I like to enjoy and get my hands dirty, so to speak, with all my assets. I buy wine to drink, cars to drive, yachts to use, jewellery to be worn.

But my most famous collection must be my garage of cars. I have over 400 cars in my collection at most times, worth more than US$500 million.

It is very much renowned by car enthusiasts. It has its own popular Instagram page. Among all of my other assets, I think cars have given me the best feelings over the years.

What sparked your interest in collecting wines?

My step uncle has been a professionally qualified sommelier since I was young. So, he would be given the responsibility to order wine/ bring wine to our family gatherings when I was young, and he would introduce them to the family.

I was allowed to have a taste of them. That cast quite an impression on me. Later when I was studying at Cambridge and [then] started [a] business in London subsequently, in the early 1990s, wine appreciation culture was very strong all around, and I just took part in it as everyone else [was].

What do you look out for when deciding whether to purchase a bottle of wine for your collection?

I am quite a maverick in my investment style, across all asset classes – others may call it pioneering and visionary, if they are being polite. Same goes for wine purchasing. I like to buy wine which is, or was originally, underappreciated commercially, when considering the quality of the wine.

J.F. Coche-Dury is the best example. Buying his wines in the 1990s, together with a lot of Guigal’s Côte Rôtie, started my collection in the ’90s. At that time, those wines were not getting the recognition that they deserved.

Blue Chip names always bored me across all of my investments, not just wine … So this slightly adventurous style of investing served me well over the years across asset classes. I have no intention to change that, and I am probably even more adventurous now than ever.

I have been very blessed with the chance to taste most types of wine across the world, and I’m able to focus my collection on what I want to drink in the future. Therefore, my taste is almost the only factor of consideration at the time of purchase.

For me, nowhere in the world can make the style of wine to match that of France.

I even own a prominent vineyard in Napa Valley, and produce a large volume of wine for top winemakers in Napa, but I cannot say that we make wine with the complexity of France’s [wines]. It is unique. So, you can see that there are not many wines from outside France in the collection and in this sale.

With so many wine bottles in your collection, how do you take care of them? Where do you store them and what is your wine cellar situation like?

I utilise a selection of bonded professional cellars across the world. And each of my houses and yachts has its own cellar management, for consumption. But then of course, there are plans, and there are “plans” after a few drinks … so there can only be so much of real scientific planning for wine!

Any tips for up and coming wine collectors? How to choose, what to look out for, etc.?

I always think that troubles for purchasing ANY asset start when buyers or collectors try too hard to find a bargain.

Many investors and collectors start from a point of bargain hunting, and that is where trouble comes to all of us. Especially in this day and age, where information and pricing are rather transparent, the “bargains” mostly have catches, some [of which] are detrimental to value.

I would urge all purchasers to only obtain an intrinsic and implied “bargain” by retaining a vision and a sense of forward thinking in what they buy, rather than trying to look for the immediate bargain within the establishments.

Firstly, there are not many criminals with more foresight than connoisseurs by nature, so you will naturally avoid problems by retaining a good vision and being forward looking.

The value that comes with a forward-thinking purchase is always more, through time, than the absolute arbitrage of values for established investments.

Lastly, I learned through the years that most investments reward those who purchase their assets by passion, rather than value, especially for the relatively younger buyers.

Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter