Christie’s spring internet-only auction open for bids now

The international auction house Christie’s opens bidding for the first of their spring online-only wine auctions. Interested collectors have until Feb. 26 at noon Eastern time to place their bids for Signature Cellars IV. You, too, can bid on a mix of “blue-chip wines from the old world and the new, along with approachably priced selections suitable for holding or enjoying now.”

Better get cracking. There are almost 650 lots (some consist of single bottles), including Burgundies from the vintages 1985, 1999 and 2002. Also a broad offering of Bordeaux, some still in their wooden shipping boxes. But the selection isn’t all French. The catalog can boast “pristine” selections of top Italian wines. And some from California, too.

A lot could be a bottle of 1993 Cristal Champagne at $150 or a dozen bottles of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet estimated to bring $32,000 to $45,000. Ten bottles of Opus One from the 1979 vintage is currently at $1,400. Tempted to bid?

The venerable auction house launched its first internet-exclusive wine auctions just last year, so this is still very new. And they’re proud to announce that “all browsing and bidding for individual lots is done completely online, with the click of a mouse.” Fancy that.

Actually, the auction site is very easy to maneuver. You can view the lots by list or grid, and filter the results by clicking in the menu on the left hand side of the screen. Hey, trawling through the hundreds of lots may be just the thing during a spot of insomnia. Just be careful about entering that bid until fully awake.

To browse, register or bid, go to www.christies.com/signaturecellars.

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