White Plains, NY, Dec. 19, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just last week, Zachys held its last wine auction of 2019, ending the year with $121,507,323 in total sales, a 50% increase on 2018, and making the auction house #1 in the world. Including Zachys robust retail division, Zachys top line sales exceeded $155,000,000 in 2019!
The tale of the tape includes increases across the board. Zachys sold $110,035,300 in live auctions, $76,258,687 of which was in New York, and $33,776,613 of which was in Hong Kong, a 50% increase in both sale sites equally. Rounding out the total was $11,472,023 in “zCollections” internet auctions, a nearly 25% increase over the 2018 total.
It was a year of records at Zachys:
- Not only did Zachys hold more “single-owner” auctions than any other auction house, accounting for nearly half the annual sales, but individual lots set over 4,200 world records.
- Over 12% of the 34,616 lots sold in 2019 were world records.
- 17 lots sold over $100,000, the top being six magnums of 1990 La Tâche for $191,226 from the Ruby Collection in the January Hong Kong auction.
- One of the most spectacular was an imperial of 1959 Lafite, signed by both the Baron de Rothschild and Saskia de Rothschild and sold direct from the Chateau’s cellars for $160,550.
- Zachys sold an astonishing 127 lots in the $50,000 to $99,999 price range.
Key auctions at Zachys included 150 Years of Château Lafite Rothschild, a consignment of wines directly from the estate’s cellars dating back to 1868, the year the Rothschilds bought the property, which realized $7,875,719, to the Collection of Ian Mill QC, one of the greatest collections of fine Burgundy in Europe, which realized $7,762,110.
Zachys saw expansion into key markets with Specialists around the globe, including Paris, Lyon, Stockholm, London, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Napa and of course New York City and Hong Kong.
Jeff Zacharia, President of Zachys, comments, “To be number #1 in the world is a great accomplishment, one that we only achieved thanks to the expertise and acumen of a global team. The auction of wines direct from Lafite was a career highlight for a Bordeaux lover like myself, and each of our (numerous!) single-owner consignors has a special place in this historic year. Zachys continues to invest in our specialists and our company, ensuring bigger and better things, and a seamless experience for our collector friends. We have some surprises in store for 2020, stay tuned for future announcements!” For more information please email auction@zachys.com.
About Zachys Wine Auctions
Founded over 75 years ago, Zachys is a third generation fine wine business. It is one of the largest independent wine auction houses and retailers in America with offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, and dedicated wine specialists in mainland China, Tokyo, London, and Paris. CEO Don Zacharia played a major role in creating the fine wine auction marketplace in America. Today, Zachys has established itself as the nation's largest and most powerful retailer and auctioneer of fine Bordeaux, Burgundy and beyond. For more information visit Zachys Wine Auctions.