Liquid Icons has unveiled a unique set of 73 auction lots in The Golden Vines Fine Wine, Rare Spirit & Experience Charity Auction.
Open from tomorrow (23 September) and closing 7 October, the online auction will be available as an eCatalogue with embedded WPA technology to allow for bidding globally.
Each auction lot will feature large formats or rarities, as well as a ‘money-can’t-buy’ experiences from many of the world’s top fine wine estates and spirit distilleries, said Liquid Icons.
Proceeds will go to the Gerard Basset Foundation to fund diversity and inclusion wine education programmes globally, including The Taylor’s Port Golden Vines Diversity Scholarships, with the Foundation expecting to raise over £1m from the auction.
A total of 23 institutional and community groups from around the world have submitted funding requests to be considered for grants from the Foundation.
‘We are honoured and humbled by the enormous enthusiasm and generosity of so many top fine wine estates and spirit distilleries in support of the Foundation’s work,’ said Lewis Chester DipWSET of Liquid Icons and Trustee of the Foundation.
‘The industry clearly recognises the issues around diversity and inclusion and the need to radically tackle them through the Foundation’s global wine education programmes.’
Fine wine and spirit lovers will be able to bid on unique bottling formats, often signed by the owner or head winemaker, while taking their family, friends, colleagues or clients on VIP tours, tastings, fine wine or spirit lunches or dinners, often while staying at wineries or distilleries from across five continents.
Highlights include Liber Pater donating a Melchior (18L) of the world’s most expensive red wine on release, according to Liquid Icons, along with a tour, tasting and lunch with Loic Pasquet.
Meanwhile, Cheval Blanc is opening its doors to a party of 10 guests to stay at the Château while enjoying a fine wine dinner with its head winemaker, Pierre-Olivier Clouet, along with a jeroboam of Cheval Blanc 2006.
