Getting hammered: Fine wine auctions at Christie's

The rise of the foodie has led to a growth in the popularity of rare whiskies at auction, says Christie's Noah May

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On 5 December 1766, James Christie conducted his first auction in London. But this year, as well as celebrating our 250th anniversary, we are marking 50 years since Christie's fine wine and spirits department was established. That first sale included ten lots of wine, cognac, madeira and port, but as Christie's gained a reputation in fine art, jewellery, books, furniture and so on, the category fell by the wayside somewhat.

In 1966, Michael Broadbent, a master of wine who had worked for wine merchants such as Laytons and Harveys of Bristol, approached Christie's and proposed a specialist department, convincing the owners there would be a good market for fine wines. He spent the rest of his career hunting down great collections, be they in old Scottish castles or plantation houses in the Deep South, and made extensive tasting notes – the oldest he has tasted is a 1645 canary sack. At 89, he is still a consultant for Christie's and his publication, The Great Vintage Wine Book, is the best resource for information on old wines.

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