115-year-old port sets new auction record

A Guinness World Record for the most expensive port wine sold at auction was set last week with the sale of the first Niepoort in Lalique 1863 decanter.

Filled with a 155-year-old vintage port created in 1863 by the first Niepoort generation, Franciscus Marius van der Niepoort and decentered in a Lalique crystal demijohn, the wine sold for HK$ 992,000 (£98,000) at Acker Merrall & Condit, Hong Kong.

Dirk van der Niepoort, family member, said: “We only have one demijohn from 1905, which contains one of our first wines, 1863. It is an incredibly rare Port, the result of years of dedication and craftsmanship. A big wine, but very refined, not too sweet but highly concentrated.”

The collaboration between Lalique and Niepoort was announced earlier this year and has resulted in five demijohn decanters, each one engraved with a name from one of the five van der Niepoort generations.

The Niepoort in Lalique 1863 decanter is packaged in a cabinet that comes as a gift to the bidder.

Silvio Denz, chairman and CEO of Lalique added: “The figure achieved underscores the interest and value of such extraordinary decanters. This record pays tribute to the craftsmanship and excellence of Lalique and Niepoort, masters in their respective fields that go beyond the ordinary.”