Fine Wine Auctions Keep Growing as Buyers Turn More Selective

The fine wine auction market kept expanding in 2025 even as global alcohol consumption continued to soften, according to iDealwine’s annual barometer, which tracks online auctions and broader collector demand. The Paris-based auction house said it sold more than 300,000 bottles last year, up 18.5% from 2024, with total sales rising 9% to 42.4 million euros. The average price per bottle fell 8% to 137 euros, a sign that buyers were purchasing more wine but at lower average prices.

The report points to a market that is still active, but more selective. Burgundy remained the most valuable region in auction sales, accounting for 41.3% of total value, while Bordeaux led by volume with 34%. Burgundy’s average price per bottle was 212 euros, down 15% from the previous year. The Rhône held third place in both value and volume, helped by demand for younger vintages and producers such as Emmanuel Reynaud, whose wines sold in large numbers and brought in more than one million euros.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti was the most traded producer overall, with 514,000 bottles sold for 1.9 million euros. The single most expensive lot was a jeroboam of 2010 Petrus from Bordeaux, which sold for 27,043 euros. The highest-priced individual bottle was a 2006 Musigny Grand Cru from Domaine Leroy, which fetched 25,416 euros.

Italy continued to play a larger role in the auction market. Italian wines made up 51% of non-French wines sold at auction in 2025, with more than 10,000 bottles sold, up 33%, and total value approaching one million euros, up 37%. The average price for Italian bottles rose 2% to 96 euros. The most expensive Italian bottle was a 1985 Sassicaia from Tenuta San Guido, which sold for 2,629 euros.

Within Italy, Piedmont remained the dominant region by volume, accounting for 60% of bottles sold, while Tuscany represented 21%. Red wines continued to dominate Italian auction sales, making up 95% of volume and 97% of total value. Older vintages also remained important: 41% of the Italian bottles sold were more than 20 years old, while 24% came from the 2006-2015 period.

Across the broader market, red wines still led collector demand, representing 72% of traded volume and 71.4% of value. White wines continued to gain ground and reached 20% of volume in 2025. Interest in older vintages eased somewhat overall: although 55% of the wines sold were more than 10 years old, that category fell 14% from 2024, suggesting buyers were leaning toward younger releases.

Organic and biodynamic wines also drew strong interest. They accounted for 30% of volume and 36% of value in the auctions tracked by iDealwine. Champagne ranked fourth by value and fifth by volume, with sales up 21% and an average price of 201 euros, up 16%. Jura continued to perform well too, rising 10% in volume and 7% in value.

The report also showed that demand is spreading beyond the traditional power regions. Burgundy, Bordeaux and the Rhône still accounted for 72% of total sales value combined, but their share of volume has fallen by about 10 percentage points over the past decade as collectors have turned more attention to regions including Jura, Loire, Beaujolais, Alsace and Corsica.