Sir Alex Ferguson to auction HK$39 million wine collection in Hong Kong
Legendary ex-Manchester United boss puts a different set of reds up for sale with Christie's
Legendary soccer boss Alex Ferguson used to take his mind off the pressure of the "beautiful game" by building up a collection of wines almost as impressive as the collection of trophies he won at Manchester United.
Now, about 5,000 bottles of wine - red, of course - from Ferguson's cellar are to be sold off along with signed memorabilia in Hong Kong. Auction house Christie's announced the sale, with an estimated value of HK$39 million, yesterday.
One star lot will be six bottles of Romanee-Conti Grand Cru 1999, which are offered with a Manchester United Champions League shirt from 1999 signed "Best wishes, Alex Ferguson". It has a maximum estimated value of HK$850,000.
Ferguson said he wanted to auction some of his collection in Hong Kong as "Asia is a part of the world that holds great affection for Manchester United". He was always amazed by the level of support and reaction that accompanied his team's visits.
"It is more than just an association, it is a romance dating back many years," he said.
Some 75 per cent of the cellar is made up of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, a French Burgundy which Christie's international director of wine David Elswood says "is probably the wine in vogue, the wine of the moment in terms of demand. So hopefully that's going to draw the attention of not just Alex Ferguson fans but wine fans, too."