Undrinkable wine sells for $8,000
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OK which would you find the most shocking?
A) A teetotaler puts his name and image on a wine label
B) That teetotaler would give said wine to his underlings on his birthday
C) A 1943 “schwarzer tafelwein” could be sold at auction last week
D) That bottle sold for almost $8,000
In case none stood out and you answered all of the above, then you’re right! The bottle of 1943 Fuhrerwein bearing the image of known teetotaler Adolf Hitler was originally given to Nazi officers on the occasion of the dictator’s birthday. It was sold at Plymouth Auction Rooms in England last week for £3,995 (including the auctioneer’s commission). No word on who was the buyer.
Sources:
“Hitler wine fetches £3,995 - but don’t mention its taste” [thisislondon.co.uk]
“Hitler’s wine up for auction” [decanter.com]
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On September 27th, 2007 at 11:31 am ,F. Green wrote:
Sirs:
Regarding your recent item reporting on Italian “Hitler Wine”, please note that we have tried this vintage and are able to report the following:
This wine is exceedingly bold, with a very bitter after-taste. Doesn’t go well with Russian food, completely dominates French cuisine, but can be successfully paired with pasta or sushi. Palette can best be cleansed with U.K. malt whiskeys and, especially, American domestic brews.
Hitler wine has a full bodied taste with hints of blackcurrant, leather, gunpowder, steel, brick, and burnt wood. “This is a bottle with a message in it, and the message is ‘beware’. This is not a wine for drinking, this is a wine for laying down and avoiding.”
Ultimately its taste will die in the cellar. Even so, this vintage may occasionally still be found in rural South American cafes.
Thank you.
F. Green
New York City