The World of Wine

The world of wine expertise is a world of its own. The number one wine critic in the world, Robert Parker, insures his nose for $1 million. The world’s biggest auction market for top wines is no longer London or New York City but Hong Kong, where three bottles of wine (1869 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild) recently sold for $230,930, each, and where bottles of Chateau d’Yquem go for $75,000 each. …

Currently the best wine in the world is an 1811 Chateau d’Yquen—a bottle purchased for $120,000 and which the owner claims will be opened and drunk in 2017 (with some foie gras—goose…