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| 1788 Cognac tops Paris wine sale | |
| (19 minutes later) | |
| A 1788 bottle of Cognac has fetched the top price at an auction of wine from a Paris restaurant that boasts one of the world's most famous cellars. | |
| A French entrepreneur bought the bottle from the Tour D'Argent restaurant for 25,000 euros (£22,650), with the proceeds to go to charity. | A French entrepreneur bought the bottle from the Tour D'Argent restaurant for 25,000 euros (£22,650), with the proceeds to go to charity. |
| Some 18,000 bottles were sold for more than 1.5m euros at the auction - well above the expected takings of 1m euros. | Some 18,000 bottles were sold for more than 1.5m euros at the auction - well above the expected takings of 1m euros. |
| The restaurant says it hopes to renew the cellar's contents after the sale. | The restaurant says it hopes to renew the cellar's contents after the sale. |
| Andre Terrail, who runs the restaurant - the third generation of his family to do so - said he hoped to add new wines from different parts of France, including the Loire Valley, to the cellar. | Andre Terrail, who runs the restaurant - the third generation of his family to do so - said he hoped to add new wines from different parts of France, including the Loire Valley, to the cellar. |
| 'History and soul' | 'History and soul' |
| "The past two days were very moving to me," he said in a statement at the end of the auction. | "The past two days were very moving to me," he said in a statement at the end of the auction. |
| "Every bottle sold in this sale will have to find the right moment and the right atmosphere to be appreciated to the fullest," he said. | "Every bottle sold in this sale will have to find the right moment and the right atmosphere to be appreciated to the fullest," he said. |
| "Buyers acquired not only excellent wines, but also a large part of our history and soul." | "Buyers acquired not only excellent wines, but also a large part of our history and soul." |
| Wines from around France fetched well above their asking price. | Wines from around France fetched well above their asking price. |
| Two other bottles of the 1788 Cognac - from one year before the French Revolution - went for 21,066 euros and 18,588 euros. | |
| The restaurant, which was founded in 1582 and is on the left bank of the Seine, was popular with French royalty before it was stormed in the French Revolution. | The restaurant, which was founded in 1582 and is on the left bank of the Seine, was popular with French royalty before it was stormed in the French Revolution. |
| More recently it has attracted politicians and actors, though it has lost two of its three Michelin stars. | More recently it has attracted politicians and actors, though it has lost two of its three Michelin stars. |
| It is famed for its signature dish of duck served in its own blood and for its views of Notre Dame cathedral. | It is famed for its signature dish of duck served in its own blood and for its views of Notre Dame cathedral. |
| Its wine list is 400 pages long, with no fewer than 15,000 choices, and it still has at least 420,000 bottles left following the auction. | Its wine list is 400 pages long, with no fewer than 15,000 choices, and it still has at least 420,000 bottles left following the auction. |