If you're looking to enhance your wine cellar, you might be interested in the "Evening of Exceptional Wines" that Aulden Cellars-Sotheby's will hold on Monday, October 29th. No, this event is not for those of us with champagne tastes but a beer budget. The sale is expected to bring in upwards of $2.8 million dollars.

On Monday, October 29th, 2007, an Evening of Exceptional Wines, consisting of 144 lots of large-format bottles as well as a number of "super lots". This exciting evening sale, which is expected to bring $2.8/3.6 million*, will feature wines with an average estimated lot value in excess of $20,000. Highlighting the sale are cases of 1989 and 1990 Romanée-Conti, estimated to sell for $100/150,000 and $120/200,000, respectively.

Registered bidders will be served dinner and are encouraged to bring their own wine from their personal collections to enjoy and share with tablemates during the auciton. I doubt anyone who is attending this would be concerned about a corkage fee, but if they were they needn't be as the fee will be waived.

Jamie Ritchie, Head of Sotheby's Wine department in North America, comments on this new auction format. From News-Antique.com:

"We are very excited to introduce a new style of evening sale at Sotheby's, where the wines have been curated so that we feature only the best wines from the greatest producers in the best years. At Sotheby's, the evening sales of Impressionist and Contemporary Art offer the most highly prized and valuable works of art, and with this sale we have followed this format, limiting the number of lots to under 150, with an average value in excess of $20,000."

I'd love to attend something like this - wine is just meant to be shared and who better to share it with than other people who share your passion?