1945 vintage wines featured in this week's Iron Gate auction. Photos supplied by Iron Gate AuctionsKevin Hewitt Photography/Iron Gate Auctions
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Wine lovers across Canada can bid on rare bottles at the Iron Gate Auctions, featuring selections from the largest private cellar to come up for sale. Comprised of almost 200 lots, the Exceptional Wines of Samuel Sarick catalog is accepting online bids, with a live auction finale on Saturday in Toronto.
“In Canada’s 20-year history of auctions, there’s never been a collection of this magnitude in quality and provenance,” said Stephen Ranger, Senior Advisor at Iron Gate Auctions. The veteran wine appraiser said the collection represents a true collector’s cellar, with blue-chip selections from Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne producers as well as prestigious Australian, Californian and Italian wineries.
The lots selected for the first Sarick auction is based in Old World rarities along with some New World classics, some dating as far back at the Second World War. Additional selections from the private cellar will be made available in the future sales.
Virtual liquor auctions are a relatively new sales channel that became permissible in Ontario following permanent changes to existing provincial regulations last year. The Sarick auction marks the first in-person, live auction after more than two years.
Auctions like this offer a rare opportunity for collectors to buy wines and spirits that aren’t otherwise available, explains Warren Porter, Iron Gate’s founder and resident. “Wines from collectors in Canada are sought after because there’s a lack of a secondary market historically. You’re typically looking at a single owner collections, which is the case here,” he adds.
Even with ongoing economic uncertainty, the fine wine market continues to grow. There’s strong buyer demand, according to Porter.
Iron Gate closed its last auction with a record hammer at $1.015 million, with only three lots failing to secure a bid.
The late real-estate/construction businessman and financier, Sarick was a long-time collector. “He had a lot of access directly to the right guys to get the right product and certainly had the means and wherewithal to buy all the best stuff,” says Porter.
The online auction opened Monday. Buyers can register and place bids from their desktop, tablet or smartphone using the Iron Gate app.
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