Bottle of rare wine dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte sells for £21K

CAIRO – 26 May 2021: The intense bidding session at Christie's Auction House saw the sale of a wine bottle dating back to 1821 for £21,000, according to Decanter.

Organizers said that a Christie's customer in the United Kingdom bought the bottle, which "is probably one of 12 bottles left in the world."

It was once part of the rare and sought-after sweet wine case reserved for Napoleon in the prison on Saint Helena Island in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean.

Known as the Grand Constance 1821, the wine achieved fame more than a century ago. By the 19th century, its admirers ranged from George Washington to King George III and Frederick the Great.

Napoleon Bonaparte, one of the most controversial historical figures, was born in 1769, but his name shone with the outbreak of the French Revolution of 1789.

In 1798, he led the French campaign to Egypt, he also occupied a number of European countries, and became Emperor of France twice. He died on May 5, 1821.