The first Christie's Wine Auction to be held in Asia since 2001, will take place on November 29th, 2008 and it will open Christie's Hong Kong Fall 2008 Sale Season. Given the wines that will be auctioned off, for the serious Indian wine lover, it is probably worth a trip from India. Christie's International Wine Department will conduct a focused sale of fine wine including select offerings from the cellars of first growth, Château Latour. 

The auction will take place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. Christie's Hong Kong sales totaled HK $2.4 billion in Spring 2008, the highest total ever achieved for any auction season in Asia, and the reintroduction of regular wine sales to the Christie's Hong Kong calendar emphasizes a greater commitment to the region.

The exclusive offering of Latour wine, the first Château-sourced collection ever to be sold in Asia, provides a fitting opening for this exciting new venture.

David Elswood, International Head of the Christie's Wine Department, says: "Christie's is no stranger to selling wine in the Asian markets, having conducted sales in Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo throughout the 90s and into the new millennium. With the continued rise and dominance of our Hong Kong saleroom, and with an extensive list of clients who have been buying and selling with us in Europe and the Americas over the past few years, we now welcome the opportunity to return and sell wine locally in the region. With the support of our major saleroom hub in Hong Kong, we see great potential for growth and development, and we are particularly pleased with the exceptional consignment from Château Latour – a first for Asia, and a tremendous opportunity for our clients to bid on some of the finest wines in the world, all sourced with impeccable provenance."

The evening sale will feature around 250 selected lots, with 150 lots from Château Latour. The Latour selection will comprise of bottles, magnums and many large formats from a wide range of vintages up to 2005 with a number of rarities from older vintages dating back to 1865. Classic vintage highlights from 1900, 1929, 1945, 1959, 1961 and 1982 include a 1900 magnum (estimate: HK $140,000-190,000); 12 bottles of 1959 (estimate: HK $300,000-380,000); one 1961 imperiale (estimate: HK $480,000-600,000); imperiales of 1982 (estimate: HK $180,000-220,000 each); and a 2000 jeroboam (estimate: HK $75,000-100,000). The Latour selection in its entirety is expected to realize in excess of HK $10 million.

Alongside the unique offering from Château Latour will be a further range of fine and rare wines, all sourced from impeccable European cellars, including rare Pétrus and other First Growth Bordeaux, a selection of exceptional Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, vintage Champagne and venerable Vintage Port and Old Cognacs.

With the large Indian population in Hong Kong, it wouldn't be surprising at all if some Indian wine lovers participated in the auction.