Wine auctions a bit like gambling: The house usually wins

Wine Review | Stephen Quinn

Last week in Hong Kong, Zachys, a US company, auctioned the extraordinary cellar of Joseph Weinstock, a close friend of the famous wine critic Robert Parker. Indeed, Parker tasted bottles from Dr Weinstock's cellar for the first edition of his book on Bordeaux.

The auction comprised almost 700 lots and featured the best Bordeaux vintages from the past half century. Weinstock purchased wines on release and stored them in a custom-built cellar in his Baltimore home. He marked every bottle with a wax pencil with the date, price and source as well as the ullage level.