Christie's to Auction Charlie Trotter's Wine Collection; Sale Expected to Fetch $1MM

When Charlie Trotter announced last New Year's that he'd close his world-renowned restaurant after 25 years, one of the questions that kept coming up was what would happen to all the treasured wine in his cellars. Well now there's an answer: It's all going to hit the auction block through Christie's.

The 4,000-plus collection, which features many large format bottles and was housed in four cellars at the restaurant, will go up for auction during two separate events: a live saleroom auction in New York on Nov. 16 and a companion online-only auction Nov. 20 through Dec. 4. The collection, featuring bottles from every major wine region in the world, is expected to fetch $1 million.

During the year when asked what he would do with the collection, Trotter joked that he may hold on to it and drink a bottle a day until he died. But now clearly he's looking to share the collection and make a pretty penny from it.

"The wines to be offered from my cellar have inspired a bounty of great dining experiences for me and for my guests over the years," Trotter said in a release. "I hope they will inspire their next owners in much the same way."

· Charlie Trotter to Close Iconic Restaurant After 25 Years [~EChi~]
· The Magnificent Cellar of Charlie Trotter's [Christie's]
· Trotter's Wine Collection eCatalogue [Christie's]