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Selling wine with Steinfels

Every step in our Zürich Premises

You deliver the wines in original cases or in bulk directly to us in Zurich.

The assessment of the wines’ condition (ullage, labels, capsule, etc.) is carried out by our experienced team of experts.

Prior to their sale, the wines are stored in our own cellars under constant supervision.

Every auction is held at our premises, supervised by a notary public from the canton of Zurich.

Best Prices

Our estimates are based on our own results, actual prices achieved in the international wine auction market and on the secondary market. It is our policy to make realistic estimates, which is fundamental for achieving the constant high sold rate of 95% or more.

Steinfels’ team works alongside you throughout the whole sale’s process and advise you on the most suitable selling method – our traditional salesroom auction and/or monthly e-auction as well as the lot formation.

Multi-faceted Clientele

We have a broad and varied clientele.

For high-quality fine wines, we can rely on a well-established international network of business partners in Europe, Asia and the United States. We supply older vintages and single bottles to specialised retailers and collectors throughout the world. We also have a very large clientele for more modest vintages and ready-to-drink everyday wines.

Clearly structured catalogue

Our catalogue (printed and online versions) is designed to maximise convenience for the bidder. The wines are listed alphabetically within each region, each with a detailed description of the condition. Photographs of all the wines are also provided in online catalogue.

Prompt Payment

You will receive your auction statement 3 weeks after the auction. Once we have received your acceptance of the statement, we guarantee to pay the proceeds due to you within 10 days.

Sell your wines in simple steps

Please send our team a list of the wines you would like to sell (or use this template):

Based on your list we will provide you with an auction estimate free of charge, non-binding and with confidentiality. We will also advise you on the most suitable selling method for your wines – our traditional salesroom auction and/or our monthly e-auction. Should you decide to consign your wines to us for auction, we will send you and auction contract stating our consignment terms:
Salesroom Auction
  • A commission of 10% to 20% of the auction proceeds will be payable, depending on the volume and quality of the wines consigned to us.
  • A flat fee of CHF 10.- applies to each lot.
  • For comprehensive protection of your wines during storage and shipping an isurance fee of 1% will be charged.
  • The auction commission, insurance and lot fees are subject
    to Swiss VAT (8.1%)
Monthly online-Auction (eAuction)
  • An auction commission of 20% of the auction proceeds will be payable.
  • For comprehensive protection of your wines during storage and shipping an isurance fee of 1% will be charged.
  • The auction commission, insurance and lot fees are subject
    to Swiss VAT (8.1%).

Your wines will be assigned to our next available auction upon receipt. You are welcome to deliver the wines to us in person by appointment or to have them sent by a forwarding agent. On request, we may assist you the logistics from your cellar to our warehouse in Zürich.

Roughly 2 weeks before the salesroom auction takes place you will receive the auction catalogue and a separate listing of the lots you have consigned to us. A lot can be one or more bottles of the same wine, or single or multiple bottles of different wines of different provenance. The Steinfels team will determine the composition of the lots from your consignment to achieve the highest price possible. 

3 weeks after the auction you will receive a detailed statement of the auction, which you then confirm along with your payment instructions. Our payment to you will then be made within 10 days.

 

What can I sell in auction?

As a general rule, any renowned or rare fine wines

can be consigned to us for auction. This applies to red and white wine, champagne, port, Madeira, sherry, old top-quality spirits, cognac, whisky and rum. The bottles must be sealed with their original corks and must not leak. Their labels and/or capsule foils should enable them to be clearly identified.

Bottles which have been resealed or re-labelled can be accepted for consignment only with our expplicit prior approval.

In some instances it may be necessary to remove the capsule foil so that the cork marking can be checked. Bottles with particularly low ullage levels or whose content appears questionable will not be auctioned (except in the case of antique collectors’ items!).

Steinfels Weinauktionen groups the wines in lots and records them in the auction catalogue.

Further information

Ullage (fill level) scale

in – into neck
bn – bese of neck
ts – top shoulder
hs – high shoulder
ms – mid shoulder
ls – low shoulder
l – low

The ullage of wines in Burgundy bottles is measured in centimetres from the cork.

Bottles of wine which are more than 20 years old will no longer be filled to the usual level. 
Unless our catalogue states otherwise, an ullage or fill level of TS (top shoulder) or HS (high shoulder) for these wines should be regarded as normal.