SOTHEBY’S CHAMPAGNE

If actors, athletes, musicians and sex therapists can get in on the wine game then it only stands to reason that an auction house can too.  Sotheby’s has become the first auction house to launch its own Champagne, for sale online and in the company’s retail store in New York.  The own-label Champagne, which will also be served at Sotheby’s events around the world, is made by R&L Legras, founded in 18O8 and supplier of house Champagne to many of France’s three Michelin-starred restaurants.  Made from 1OO% Chardonnay grapes grown in the Grand Cru vineyards of Chouilly, it will sell in the US at a price of $29.95 for a bottle and $69.95 for a magnum.  Jamie Ritchie, CEO of Sotheby’s Wine in the US and Asia, described the wine as “light, fresh and elegant.”