Elite Traveler Summer 2023

elite traveler SUMMER 2023 103

SOTHEBY’S Established in London in 1744, Sotheby’s auction house has long in fl uenced the ways that rare and expensive wines are bought, sold and appreciated by collectors and investors. The house has consistently been a leader in speaking against counterfeit bottles (the bane of luxury wines), as well as championing innovation and quality. The recently retired worldwide chairman of wine and spirits, Jamie Ritchie, built the department into a pre eminent global network in London, New York, Hong Kong and now Europe. Adding retail outlets that o ff er carefully curated ‘instant’ cellars and expert advisors has helped shape collectors’ connoisseurship and introduced newbies to the thrill of collecting. Along the way, Sotheby’s has helped de fi ne just what luxury wine is. Many prestige estates, such as fi rst growth châteaux Haut-Brion, Margaux and Mouton Rothschild, have o ff ered wines direct from their cellars through Sotheby’s auctions. In 2021, Sotheby’s was chosen as the new partner for the world’s oldest and most famous charity auction, Hospices de Beaune in Burgundy. All of this gives collectors more access than ever to the rarest wines. Sotheby’s annual worldwide wine auctions achieved a record total of $158 million in 2022, and the fi rm holds the world record for the most valuable bottle of wine ever sold at auction — a nearly impossible to obtain 1945 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti for $558,000. sothebys.com

Fromtop Richard Geo ff roy, former chef de cave at Dom Pérignon Champagne; IWA 5 Junmai Daiginjo sake; the brewery in rural Shiraiwa

RICHARD GEOFFROY AND IWA William Grant & Sons introduced the world to single malt whisky in the 1960s. Today, single malts dominate the luxury end of the market and account for most of what is considered highly collectible. Ironically, it is now William Grant & Sons, or at least a subsidiary of it, that is attempting to shine a light on less appreciated variations. For 28 years, Richard Geo ff roy was the chef de cave behind Dom Pérignon Champagne and was deeply involved in burnishing its image. During his 100-odd visits to Japan, though, he also fell in love with sake, the country’s traditional drink brewed from rice, and its extensive history. After retiring in 2019, he pursued his dream of making a unique sake that echoed the elegance, complexity, harmony and sense of luxury he’d sought for Dom Pérignon. “Sake has a lot of similarities with Champagne and Fino Sherry,” he says. “I wanted to bring that to wine drinkers.” A Shinto ceremony in Japan’s Toyama prefecture marked his new life. Everything about his IWA 5 Junmai Daiginjo sake exudes opulence, from the name and the philosophy behind it to its $200 price tag; its pure, intense, rich fl avors; and the elegant, minimalist black bottle design with the name in brush strokes. “In line with our values, the name had to be authentic, with a strong sense of place,” Geo ff roy explains. It comes from the brewery location in rural Shiraiwa, a site chosen for the pristine quality of the water and the beauty of the landscape. Geo ff roy’s use of the blending techniques he perfected at Dom Pérignon takes the idea of sake to a new level, and that will surely in fl uence others. iwa-sake.jp

Photos Nao Tsuda