From bottles that topped US$ 800,000 at auction to labels that cost tens of thousands of dollars on average
This guide separates two measures: the record paid for a bottle at auction, which depends on a bid on a single day, and the average price the market asks today for the most expensive labels. At the end, the most expensive wines in the Bebidário catalog.
The records are the amounts announced by the auction houses, checked against two publications whenever possible, in dollars, as published. The conversion into reais is approximate, using the Central Bank's PTAX exchange rate of September 24, 2026 (US$ 1 = R$ 5.1795), without adjusting for inflation since the sale.
A 750 ml bottle of Romanée-Conti 1945, from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, sold for US$ 812,500 (about R$ 4.2 million) at Acker's La Paulée auction on March 18, 2026, according to The Drinks Business and Forbes. It came from Robert Drouhin's cellar. According to the auction house, the vintage produced about 600 bottles and was the last from the old, pre-phylloxera vines, replanted in 1947. The same bottle had already set a record in 2018: US$ 558,000 (about R$ 2.9 million) at Sotheby's New York, on October 13, against an estimate of US$ 32,000, according to Guinness World Records.
A 6-liter bottle of Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 1992, the winery's first vintage, went for US$ 500,000 (about R$ 2.6 million) at the 20th Napa Valley Wine Auction, in June 2000, according to Wine Spectator. It was one of two bottles of that size from the vintage. The auction is a charity event.
At the same March 2026 auction, a Methuselah (6 liters) of La Tâche 1971, another grand cru from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, went for US$ 325,000 (about R$ 1.7 million), according to The Drinks Business.
An Impériale (6 liters) of Château Cheval Blanc 1947 was sold for US$ 304,375 (about R$ 1.6 million) at Christie's Geneva on November 16, 2010, according to swissinfo and Wine Spectator. The estimate was US$ 150,000 to US$ 250,000.
At Sotheby's Hong Kong, on October 29, 2010, three bottles of Lafite 1869 went for US$ 233,972 each (about R$ 1.2 million), according to Decanter and Wine Spectator. The estimate was US$ 8,000.
Wine-Searcher publishes a ranking of the average price per 750 ml bottle, with offers from stores around the world. We used the list updated on December 2, 2025, accessed on September 24, 2026 in the Internet Archive copy, because the site did not load. According to Master of Wine Konstantin Baum, the driver is scarcity: Burgundy's grands crus are small, cannot grow and have been fragmented by inheritance. Second place, The Golden Dragon Collection, from Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair (US$ 31,208), was left out for lack of a description in a source we read.
First on the list, at about R$ 249,000 a bottle. It is Pinot Noir from Musigny, a 10.8-hectare grand cru in Chambolle-Musigny, in the Côte de Nuits, classified in 1936, according to Wine-Searcher. Leroy appears 13 times in the top 50.
About R$ 124,000. It is Chardonnay from Bâtard-Montrachet, a grand cru of less than 12 hectares at the foot of the Montrachet slope, in the Côte de Beaune. D'Auvenay appears 15 times in the top 50, with its Chevalier-Montrachet right behind (US$ 22,301).
About R$ 122,000. The vineyard covers 1.81 hectares and yields about 6,000 bottles a year, according to Bourgogne-wines data cited by Wine-Searcher; Forbes says 5,000 to 6,000 bottles, mainly of Pinot Noir. It is the same wine as record 1.
About R$ 98,000. Montrachet covers 7.99 hectares between Puligny and Chassagne, and only Chardonnay may carry the name, according to Wine-Searcher.
About R$ 95,000. The same vineyard as the first-place wine, from another producer. Baum shows that it has an aggregate score of 97 points on Wine-Searcher and costs less than Henri Jayer's Richebourg, at 93 points: above a certain point, price follows rarity and brand.
About R$ 72,000. A sweet Riesling from the Mosel, in Germany, the only one from outside Burgundy in the top 10. The list notes that styles such as Trockenbeerenauslese are not made every year.
Nothing comes close to these amounts. These are the most expensive wines and champagnes we have.
The Grand Vin of Château Margaux, a Premier Grand Cru Classé since 1855, in the Médoc. The 2018 blend is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and spent an average of 21 months in new barrels.
The flagship brut champagne of the Reims house, with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier and about three years in the cellar. According to the producer, pear, green apple and brioche.
The non-vintage brut from Moët & Chandon, of Épernay, created in 1869. According to the house, green apple and brioche at the top, pear and peach in the body.
A red from Puglia made with Primitivo from vines at least 60 years old, with 12 months in oak. According to the producer and specialists, plum and cherry at the top, cocoa and coffee on the finish. Price from a single store, Zona Sul.
The most expensive Brazilian wine on the table: Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Vale dos Vinhedos, made only in vintages Miolo considers exceptional. According to the winery, plum, fig and cocoa. Price from a single store, Zona Sul.
The catalog prices are shelf prices, surveyed on September 24, 2026 at Divvino, Zona Sul, Bistek, Savegnago and Giassi, 750 ml bottle. They change over time and from store to store.
Drink responsibly.
Sources: Forbes (March 30, 2026); The Drinks Business (Apr 2026); Guinness World Records, record for most expensive wine sold at auction; swissinfo/ATS (November 16, 2010); Decanter (Oct 2010); Wine Spectator (June 3, 2000, June 12, 2000, November 22, 2010 and April 2, 2026); Wine-Searcher, list of the 50 most expensive wines (December 2, 2025, via Internet Archive), Musigny, Montrachet and Bâtard-Montrachet pages and article by Konstantin Baum MW (September 17, 2025); Banco Central do Brasil, PTAX of September 24, 2026; catalog spec sheets; Bebidário price survey at Divvino, Zona Sul, Bistek, Savegnago and Giassi (September 24, 2026).
