Bidding is open from today for the online auction of some very special bottles that have been generously donated in aid of Wine Relief. The auction is very kindly being run pro bono by Bid for Wine whose Lionel Nierop writes:
'I'm pleased to say that lots donated to date have now been listed on Bid for Wine (I should say that we're still awaiting details and pictures for some lots). We will be allowing people to place advanced 'commission' bids on the lots from this morning until next Monday 14 March, at which point the auction proper will start. If someone has placed a commission bid before the 14th, once the auctions have started, we'll email them to say whether they're winning or not. It will then be possible to place further bids on all lots until the auctions close at midnight on Red Nose Day Friday 18 March' (that is, at the end of all the televised Comic Relief stuff on BBC1).
These are the lots so generously donated so far. (Should you feel moved to add to them, kindly contact lionel@bidforwine.co.uk.)
A six- litre bottle of Dow 2007 Vintage Port donated by Symington Family Estates which is a most generous gift of an extremely rare bottle size containing a wine awarded 100 points by the Wine Spectator.
A signed jeroboam (three litres) of Christian Moreau Père et Fils, Les Clos 2008 Chablis Grand Cru donated by Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils
A magnum of Ridgeview Blanc de Blancs 2001 English sparkling wine from a pre-eminent source of a wine style about which I will be writing a week on Saturday donated by Richard Bampfield MW (Chairman, Association of Wine Educators)
A bottle of Château Pape Clément 1966 Pessac-Léognan donated by Laura Clay (Honorary Secretary, Association of Wine Educators)
A bottle of d'Oliveiras Verdelho Colheita 1981 Madeira donated by Charles Metcalfe (President, Association of Wine Educators)
A magnum of Pol Roger Vintage Brut 2000 Champagne signed by the Pol Roger family and donated by Pol Roger Ltd
A double magnum of Château Rauzan-Ségla1995 Margaux donated by the team at Château Rauzan-Ségla
A magnum of Louis Latour Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2002, donated by Louis Latour Agencies
A magnum of Felton Road Pinot Noir 2003, donated by Angela Reddin (member, Association of Wine Educators)
A sampler case of Felton Road 2009, donated by Angela Reddin (Assistant Wine Maker at Felton Road in 2004, Wine Consultant) (NB the second time this case will have been put to work raising funds for a charitable cause).
For more details, kindly see bidforwine.co.uk