Sotheby’s Wine & Spirits sales total $127.5 million in 2025, up 12% on 2024, and proving the wine and spirits market is not all doom and gloom.
Sotheby’s annual Wine & Spirits sales (auction and private) totaled $127.5 million in 2025, marking a rise of nearly 12% compared to 2024. This result represents the fourth-highest annual total for the category since the department’s launch in 1970, demonstrating the continued strength and international reach of the Wine & Spirits business despite widely reported global pressures.
“Our 2025 results underscore the strength and momentum of Sotheby’s Wine & Spirits business. Achieving $127.5 million in sales across auctions and private transactions reflects not only the resilience of the fine wine and spirits market, but also the continued confidence collectors place in Sotheby’s to steward the world’s most important cellars and collections,” said Nick Pegna, Global Head of Sotheby’s Wine & Spirits.
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READ THE STORYThe results highlight impressive growth over the past decade, with total sales more than doubling from $47 million in 2015.
Sotheby’s conducted 69 auctions across eight selling centers in 2025, with 33 single-owner sales representing almost half (48%) of the total number of auctions.
Growth in new buyers reached 35% new to Sotheby’s, with participation from a record 63 countries.
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Geographic distribution of buyers was nearly equally split: 34% EMEA, 33% Americas, and 32% Asia. This balanced global buyer base underscores the resilience of the market and Sotheby’s ability to generate demand across all major regions.
For the second consecutive year, New York outperformed Hong Kong as Sotheby’s top-selling location. Europe represented the strongest region globally, driven by robust results across France and the UK.
Regional sales breakdown included: USA at $37.3 million, Asia at $33.5 million, and Europe at $56.7 million (with UK at $21.3 million and France at $35.4 million).
Wine sales totaled $106 million with 33% of buyers new to Sotheby’s. The auction house sold the most valuable wine lot of 2025 and led the market in high value wine sales, with 62 lots achieving over $100,000.
Spirits sales reached $21.5 million with 31% of buyers new to Sotheby’s. The most valuable bottle of spirits sold globally was at Sotheby’s, with four out of the top five and seven out of the top ten spirits sold globally at the auction house.
Notable sales included The Glenlivet SPIRA 60 Year Old 1965, which sold for $864,825 in Edinburgh, and multiple lots from the Hospices de Beaune auction exceeding $500,000.
Earlier in the year, the Hospices Civils de Beaune announced the renewal of Sotheby’s appointment as host of the annual Domaine des Hospices de Beaune wine auction through 2030.
