We know Toronto has its fair share of high rollers, but it still comes as somewhat of a surprise that the world's most expensive wine bottle was was purchased in Hogtown, as opposed to say another world-class city like London, Paris, Hong Kong or Tokyo.
Australian winery Penfold's "2004 Block 42" sold for a list price of $168,000 at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario's (LCBO) Summerhill branch in the posh Rosedale neighbourhood, the Toronto Star reported last week.
LCBO spokeswoman Lisa Murray told the Huffington Post Canada that the purchase cannot be confirmed until all the paperwork is signed off. The buyer may also decide if he or she does not want to go public.
So why is the bottle so expensive? Part of the reason is that there are only 12 limited editions of the glass ampoule and if you're one of the lucky bowlers, you get your very own special opening ceremony.
Here's the press release's description of how that plays out:
When a decision is made to open the Ampoule a senior member of the Penfolds Winemaking team will personally attend a special opening ceremony for the owner (essentially your very own master-class). The winemaker will travel to the destination of choice, where the Ampoule will be ceremoniously removed from its glass plumb-bob casing and opened using a specially designed, tungsten-tipped, sterling silver scribe-snap. The winemaker will then prepare the wine using a beautifully crafted sterling silver tastevin.
The 2004 Block 42 is made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from a single vineyard and the glass sculpture was designed and hand-blown by Australian glass artist Nick Mount.
Check out photos of the wine:
With files from HuffPost Food
Also on HuffPost