Every wonder what $4,000 tastes like? How about $20,000, $50,000 or $100,000? While some might just long to make this amount in a year, others desire to contain that large sum of cash in a bottle of wine -- which they may or may not be able to drink.
While the sale of some of these notable wines exceeds the price of a family-sized home, it has not deterred people from purchasing such rare vintage bottles that once belonged to Thomas Jefferson, or ones saved from a shipwreck. Some argue that a bottle of wine is more than what it seems -- it is actually a work of art. With that perspective, it becomes easy to see why some bottles skyrocket in price. Just better be sure that bottle isn't corked.
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1978 Montrachet: $24,000
A collection of seven bottles of white wine from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti sold for almost <a href="http://topten.whatitcosts.com/top-ten-wine-sales.htm" target="_hplink">$24,000 a bottle in 2001</a>. Quite a pretty penny for a bottle of wine -- good thing they were still drinkable.
1865 Chateau Lafite: $27,000
This 150-year-old double <a href="http://www.bornrich.com/entry/most-expensive-wines/" target="_hplink">magnum bottle sold for $111,625</a>. It belonged to a Florida-based business man and was purchased by a European private collector over the telephone. That makes it about $27,000 for a 750 ml bottle, and about $4650 a glass.
Royal DeMaria: $30,000
Ice wine, a dessert wine that is made from grapes frozen on the vine before the fermentation process begins, is more expensive than other kinds of wine. This one bottle in particular sold for <a href="http://topten.whatitcosts.com/top-ten-wine-sales-pg2.htm" target="_hplink">$30,000 in 2006</a>. You could buy a Mini Cooper for that price.
1775 Massandra: $43,500
A Sherry from this Russian vineyard sold at <a href="http://topten.whatitcosts.com/top-ten-wine-sales.htm" target="_hplink">Sotheby's for $43,500</a> in 2001 (about $52,000 today). It is the oldest known bottle from Massandra to date.
1945 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild: $47,000
Belonging to the owner of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild's personal cellar, this 6-liter bottle was sold by Sotheby's New York for $310,700. That equals <a href="http://topten.whatitcosts.com/top-ten-wine-sales-pg2.htm" target="_hplink">about $47,000 for each 750 ml</a>.
1787 Chateau Yquem: $100,000
A vintage Sauternes, this bottle was snatched up by U.S. wine collector<a href="http://topten.whatitcosts.com/top-ten-wine-sales.htm" target="_hplink"> for just $100,000</a>.
1811 Chateau d'Yquem: $117,000
This bottle of Sauterne became the most expensive bottle of white wine to date when Christian Vanneque purchased it this year for $117,000. It is claimed to be one of the greatest wines in the history of Bordeaux and one of the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2018895/Worlds-expensive-white-wine-sold-75-000-1811-Ch-teau-dYquem.html" target="_hplink">most supreme vintages</a> ever produced.
Mr. Vanneque was a sommelier at the Paris restaurant La Tour d'Argent and plans to open the bottle in <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2011/07/26/bottle-of-white-sells-for-117000-breaking-record/" target="_hplink">2017 to celebrate</a> his 50-year-long career.
Romanée Conti 1945: $123,900
This wine was produced during WWII -- before the outbreak of phylloxera -- and only 600 bottles were created. Quite a rare wine, a U.S. collector paid<a href="http://www.bornrich.com/entry/most-expensive-wines/" target="_hplink"> $123,900 for this bottle</a>. It was sold in record breaking time at Christie's fine-wine auction.
1787 Chateau Lafite: $160,000
Sold in 1985 to Malcolm Forbes, this bottle was said to be a part of Thomas Jefferson's collection and features his initials on the bottle. Forbes paid $160,000 for it, which today equates to about $315,000. This wine is no longer drinkable, and was <a href="http://topten.whatitcosts.com/top-ten-wine-sales.htm" target="_hplink">purchased solely as a collectors item</a>.
1869 Château Lafite: $233,972
Estimated to reach $8,000 in value, this bottle ended up selling for $233,972 in 2010 to an anonymous Asian bidder. The auction house was absolutely stunned. Prices for <a href="http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/44102" target="_hplink">Lafite are stratospheric</a> in Asia; it is considered a luxury purchase and a much sought-after gift item.
1947 Château Cheval Blanc: $304,375
This bottle sold for $304,375. Known to be one of the <a href="http://www.bornrich.com/entry/most-expensive-wines/" target="_hplink">greatest Bordeaux of all time</a>, it was previously owned by an anonymous Swiss collector and was sold at an auction at Christie's in Geneva. It can still be enjoyed today and can even be kept for another 50 years without any problems.
1907 Heidsieck: $275,000
Lost in a shipwreck, this bottle was part of a shipment to the Russian Imperial family in 1916 and was discovered by a ship driver in 1997. Each bottle sold of Heidsieck <a href="http://www.bornrich.com/entry/most-expensive-wines/" target="_hplink">sold for $275,000</a>.
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Julie R. Thomson First Posted: 11/10/11 02:24 PM ET Updated: 11/11/11 10:00 AM ET