2021 in Review: Another Successful Year of Wine & Spirits at Waddington’s

With a 100% sell-through rate for our Fine Wine auctions over the last two years, Waddington’s is the best auction option in Ontario for buying or selling Fine Wine and Spirits.

Looking back over 2021, we are proud to share some key statistics and the excellent results. Nearly 2,000 lots were offered over the course of the year, which elicited over 22,000 bids from around the world—an average of 11 bids per lot!

Not only were the bids flying, but many of our bottles performed above expectation. On average, our bottles achieved results of 117.23% over market value.

We’re also continuing to expand our buying audience with an impressive 20% increase in new bidders in the first quarter alone, providing even more potential to achieve superior results. These are robust indicators as well as critical considerations for anyone interested in consigning to auction.

The last auction of 2021 was held in November, and was the pinnacle of the year’s offerings. We were especially pleased that a 5-litre bottle of 1982 Château Pétrus achieved the highest price ever realised at Waddington’s for a single bottle–$40,800 CAD.

The Pétrus wasn’t the only Bordeaux wine to make waves: other blue-chip bottles from the region exceeded all expectations, particularly a 12-bottle case of 2003 Château Latour, which achieved a price realised of $20,808–or $1,734 a bottle–well over the high estimate of $14,000.

As in all our auctions, our November 2021 Fine Wine and Spirits auctions attracted interest from across the country as well as internationally. That said, the majority of our bidders are located within the Greater Toronto Area, proving once again that Toronto is the best place in the country to auction wine and spirits.

Our November auctions also achieved the highest average hammer price, highest average over market value, highest average bidder spend and highest overall hammer total in Waddington’s history!

Key stats at a glance:

2021 Wine Stats — Overall

• 100% sold
• 1,931 lots offered
• 22,392 bids placed
• 23% over market value on average
• 63% sold over the high estimate
• 1,318 participating bidders
• $2,084.76 average spend per bidder
• 67 bids placed on average per lot

2021 November Wine Auction Stats

• 100% sold
• 490 lots offered
• 6,074 bids placed
• 129.090% over market value on average
• 95% sold over the low estimate
• 74% sold over the high estimate
• 342 participating bidders
• $2,364.85 average spend per bidder
• 4 bids placed on average per lot

These are critical considerations for anyone interested in consigning to auction. Waddington’s is undeniably the best choice for buying or selling wine, whether it be older ready-to-drink back vintages or investment-quality blue-chip Bordeaux.

Clients love working with us because of our transparent consignment process, the care and attention we show their liquid treasures and the industry-leading results we achieve.

We are always interested in discussing your well-cellared wines for future auctions. For more information, please visit our Fine Wine & Spirits Consignment Page or contact us at [email protected].

Our sincere thanks to all the Consignors and Bidders who continue to make our Fine Wine and Spirits auctions resounding successes.

Upcoming auctions 

We’re looking forward to another exciting year of Fine Wine and Fine Spirits auctions. Our first auctions of the year will be held online from February 28 to March 8.

If you are looking to consign to future auctions, please contact us at [email protected] or visit the Fine Wine & Spirits Consignments page for more information.