He styled himself “Mr Normal,” gave himself a pay cut and prefers to live in his own modest flat than the presidential palace, so it made sense when French President Francois Hollande decided to secure one more publicity coup for national belt-tightening by selling off part of the Elysee wine cellar.
Though flogging off one tenth of the presidential wine collection appalled certain French collectors, who saw it as an act of sabotage against national heritage and an affront to the palates of foreign dignitaries, the unprecedented auction has exceeded expectations.
It was hoped it would make 250,000 euros (US$325,000) over two days, but more than 300,000 euros was raised on the first night alone. The takings will partly contribute to replenishing the Elysee cellar with less extravagant vintages, perhaps favoring smaller, independent winemakers. The surplus takings will be poured back into the state coffers of a country in economic crisis and struggling to cut its debt.
Protected by an armored door, the 12,000-bottle Elysee cellar was founded in 1947 by the then-French president Vincent Auriol. Among the highest sales this week were two bottles of 1990 Petrus, which had been expected to go for about 2,200 euros each, but fetched 5,500 euros and 5,800 euros.
Among the buyers was a Shanghai-based Chinese importer of French wines who bought half the cognac on sale and the most expensive Petrus. He told journalists it was an “honor” to buy wine selected for the French president’s table.
One English buyer spent 1,100 euros on a bottle of Saint-Emilion as a birthday present for his father.
The oldest bottle on sale, a 1936 Chateau Latour, fetched 3,500 euros. The wines sold were mostly Bordeaux and Burgundy, but also champagne.
Earlier this year, the Socialist mayor of Dijon in Burgundy auctioned off half of the city hall’s wine cellar, arguing that many wines had reached maturity and had to be drunk. The sale made more than 150,000 euros to help the city’s social services.
In 2006 the Socialist mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, auctioned more than 4,000 bottles from the city hall wine cellar known as “Fort Knox,” most of them dating back to former French president Jacques Chirac’s time as mayor of Paris when the best grands crus were served at lavish receptions for international dignitaries and film stars.
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS