1945 DRC Record Sale
In this The Drinks Business article, Arabella Mileham reports that a bottle of 1945 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti sold for US$812,500 at auction, setting a new world record for a bottle of wine. The bottle had notable provenance, having come from the cellar of Robert Drouhin, and it had already made headlines when Sotheby’s sold it in 2018 for US$558,000. The broader takeaway is that the very top end of the fine-wine market still has buyers willing to pay astonishing sums for rarity, provenance, and historical significance, even in a softer and more selective broader wine market. From the article:
Other highlights of the sale included a Methuselah of 1971 La Tâche and twelve bottles of 1999 Romanée-Conti, in original packaging, which achieved $325,000 each; a Methuselah of 1999 La Tâche in its own wooden case, which raised $187,500; a six-magnum case of 2005 DRC Assortment ($162,500); a Methuselah of DRC 1996; a bottle of DRC 1943, and a magnum of 1971 Romanée-Conti, which all achieved $137,500. Meanwhile, the highest-priced white Burgundy of the sale, was Domaine d’Auvenay, with six bottles of 2013 Chevalier-Montrachet in their its own wooden case achieving $125,000.
Napa's Luxury Squeeze
So, I found one of my favorite new substacks, Ted Hall’s “Tell the Truth and Do the Right Thing”. In this post, he argues that Napa Valley’s current stress is less a normal downturn than a structural luxury-market squeeze created by too many wineries chasing the same narrow premium position at the same time. Hall’s core point is that a large swath of Napa’s smaller producers adopted luxury cost structures, hospitality expectations, and $100-plus bottle ambitions without building the kind of brand pull or differentiation that true luxury markets require. He points to a crowded middle tier, overbuilt tasting capacity, weakening score power, and a direct-to-consumer model under pressure, all of which combine to leave many wineries looking polished on the surface while struggling underneath. The practical takeaway is sharp: Napa may not have a simple demand problem; it may have a brand-density and positioning problem that the region can no longer hide behind prestige alone. This is a long read, so no article quote here. Just head over and read it!
Wine Drinkers Turn To Value
In this The Drinks Business article, James Bayley reports that a new survey of 1,351 American wine drinkers suggests U.S. consumers are becoming more price-sensitive and more restrained in how much wine they drink. The piece says affordability and moderation are reshaping buying habits, with more attention shifting toward lower-priced bottles, some growing openness to ready-to-drink alternatives, and even a tentative role for AI tools in wine discovery. The bigger indu
stry takeaway is that this is not just a downtrading story; it is a broader signal that wine is facing pressure on both value perception and relevance, especially as consumers weigh cheaper options and drink less overall. From the article:
Most American wine drinkers continue to buy bottles priced below $20, according to a January 2026 survey conducted by wine research firm Wine Opinions. The study gathered responses from 1,351 US wine drinkers and reported results at a 95 per cent confidence level with a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 per cent.
More than half of respondents in every age and gender group said they purchase wines priced under $20 on a weekly or monthly basis. Purchases of wines priced under $15 are particularly associated with younger consumers aged 21 to 39.
Frequency falls as price rises. While 54 per cent of respondents said they buy wines under $15 weekly or monthly, only 28 per cent reported buying bottles priced at $30 or more at the same frequency.
Finding Great Wine Values
In this New York Times piece, Eric Asimov argues that wine value is not about buying the cheapest bottle; it is about spending intelligently based on your budget, priorities, and what you want from wine. He notes that the old $15 to $20 sweet spot for exciting bottles has shifted upward, and that $20 to $30 today is what $15 to $20 used to be, especially as inflation, tariffs, and restaurant markups reshape pricing. Asimov’s practical advice is to look beyond famous regions and well-known producers, because real value often comes from less celebrated places and emerging names before wider demand pushes prices higher. For readers, the core takeaway is simple: value still exists, but finding it now requires more flexibility, more exploration, and a clearer sense of your own spending limits. From the article:
For years, I have argued that, to spend the least amount of money, the greatest proportion of good values in wine were in the range of $15 to $20 a bottle.
For a little more money, up to $20, I’ve believed, the range of exciting wines increases exponentially.
This has been true for a long time, but in the nearly 15 years since my first list of $20 bottles, the cast of wines has changed drastically. The bottle of Chablis from Domaine Picq that cost $20 in 2012 now costs $35 to $40, while the Langhe freisa from G.B. Burlotto now runs $45 to $50.
He then list some great value regions, but you’ll need to read the article for that. He ends with:
Value is out there. It requires being open to new grapes, different regions and unknown producers but the rewards are worth it.
