The holiday season is here, which means cozy nights by the fire with a glass of something smokey, a Left Bank powerhouse with a sizzling lamb roast, or celebrating the New Year with a bit of bubbly — all, of course, with friends and family. As it is for many, this is also a time for us to reflect on the outgoing year, and look forward to what 2023 may bring.
What a year 2022 has been at Waddington’s! We saw a dramatic increase in both new bidders and consignors (we offered nearly 4,300 lots across our Wine and Spirits auctions, a 45% increase from 2021). What’s more, our small but dedicated team came closer together than ever, putting in long hours to assemble ten hugely successful auctions, including the Grapes for Humanity benefit auction in October.
It has been an absolute pleasure handling your liquid treasures throughout the year. We are perpetually amazed by the careful collecting of our consignors, and the thoughtful purchasing and evolving tastes of our buyers. Whether you bought or sold with us in 2022, we cannot thank you enough for the trust you continue to place in us, and we look forward to continuing these relationships in 2023.
It’s an oft-repeated phrase from our department, but most sincerely: thank you.
Bucking Market Trends
With global economic uncertainty and a softening international market for some bluechip wines, we went into the second half of the year expecting to see these issues manifest in our auctions.
To our surprise, while we did see some waning interest in Burgundies, we found our prices continuing to surpass the international market. Instead of a softening, it is more apt to call it shifting tastes. Bluechip Bordeaux continues to perform as well as ever, but we saw an uptick in interest for other regions such as Champagne, Napa and Tuscany.
We also continue to attract record numbers of new bidders for each auction, no doubt due to our excellent marketing team here at Waddington’s and our partners at the LCBO. It confirms the market is quite healthy and is responding well to our carefully-curated auctions. For example, new bidders in our November Wine, Spirits and Bourbon auctions represented 15%, 28% and 36% of total bidders respectively.
Further to our bucking of the downward trends of the international market, here are some highlights of lots that performed exceptionally well throughout 2022:
THE MACALLAN SINGLE HIGHLAND MALT SCOTCH WHISKY NAS (ONE 75 CL)
Estimate: $8,800 – $10,200
Realised: $9,960
BOWMORE ISLAY SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY 38 YEARS (ONE 750 ML)
Estimate: $6,000 – $7,000
Realised: $11,400
PAPPY VAN WINKLE FAMILY RESERVE KENTUCKY STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY 15 YEARS (ONE 750 ML)
Estimate: $1,900 – $2,100
Realised: $3,900
Onward to 2023
If you are considering parting with some of your liquid treasures in 2023 we certainly hope you’ll consider auctioning them with Waddington’s.
The deadline for consigning to our February 27 to March 7 auctions of wine and spirits is December 15, however these auctions are nearly at capacity, so only the most exceptional consignments will be considered at this time. We are also accepting consignments for our other 2023 auctions.
For more information on the consignment process please visit our Wine & Spirits consignment page or email us at [email protected] for a no-obligation discussion on what we can accomplish together.
Picking Up Your Purchases
If you purchased wine or spirits in a recent auction and would like to pick up your purchases before we close for our holiday break please note that payment must be completed and your pick-up appointment booked before December 13. The final day for pick-up appointments is the morning of December 16, but appointment slots for the entire week are filling up quickly.
Our offices will be closed at noon on Friday, December 16 and we will reopen Thursday, January 5, 2023 at 9 am.
Kind Words
This time every year we like to look back at the feedback from our buyers and consignors. Here are a few of our favourites:
“I am so impressed with your service and really appreciate the seamless process.”
“Thank you Joann and my thanks to Devin as well. Assistance from you both has been terrific.”
“Looking forward to working with you again on the next one.”
“It was great working with you and the team. I’m very happy with the outcome of every one of my lots in the auction.”
“Better than I expected. Much appreciated.”
Onward to 2023
Finally, for the last time in 2022, we thank each and every one of you. This year has been exciting, challenging, joyous, and rewarding. We are eternally grateful for the relationship we have with each and every one of you, and look forward to reconnecting in the new year.
However you spend the holidays, we send you our best wishes, and hope that your days are filled with friends, family, good food, and of course, great wine.
– Joann, Devin, Gordon, Holly, Nick, Robin and the entire Waddington’s Team
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Meet the Specialists
Joann Maplesden
Senior Specialist
Devin Hatfield
Specialist