More than 100 experiences were being offered by the world’s leading chefs in “50 Best for recovery”, the first global online gastronomy auction, the proceeds of which will go to supporting restaurants all over the world. The lots being auctioned included three bottles of Palo Cortado Añada 1986 by González Byass, which were bottled exclusively for El Celler de Can Roca and signed by Josep Roca and Antonio Flores, the restaurant’s sommelier and the winery’s winemaker respectively. The highest bid made for these Sherry relics was £5,100. Also up for auction were a bottle of Nabucodonosor de Beronia Reserva 2015 signed by Matías Calleja, Beronia’s winemaker, that went for £1,150, and an exclusive wine tourism experience for ten people at the new winery located at the heart of La Rioja Alta, which achieved a top bid of £1,000.
One of the world’s unique Sherries
Selected by Jose Roca and Antonio Flores, the 1986 vintage of this wine was bottled exclusively to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the opening of El Celler Can Roca, which took top spot in the ranking of “The World's Best 50 Restaurants” in 2013 and 2015. There are currently only 60 bottles of this Palo Cortado in existence. There is no other Sherry like it in the world.
Nabucodonosor de Beronia Reserva 2015
It took a top bid of £1,150 GBP to acquire an exclusive bottle of Beronia Reserva 2015, one of the most special wines being preserved at the winery in Ollauri. Bottled in a Nebuchadnezzar, a 15-litre bottle signed by Matías Calleja, this unique Gran Reserva was made from a grape harvest classified as “Excellent”.
Exclusive tour of the new winery
The second lot donated by Beronia, which comprised an exclusive wine tourism experience for 10 people, achieved a sale price of £1,000. The tour, which will explore Beronia’s new winery, will start where it all begins, in the vineyard, and from there will follow the delicate process of how the wines are made. The highlight of the day, at the end of the tour, will be a masterclass by winemaker Matías Callejo and a tasting devised especially for the occasion.
