Cartoon illustration of a man driving a vintage red car with large boxes of wine stacked on a cart attached to the back. The car has a license plate reading 'STEINFELS' and a sign on the front reading 'FISCHER'. The wine boxes have handwritten labels with vineyard names and vintages. The car is moving quickly, with smoke coming from the tires, and there are signs pointing to 'Pfingstweidstr.' and 'Limmatstrasse'.

Selling wine with Steinfels

As a general rule, any renowned or rare fine wines can be consigned. 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. Resealed or re-labelled bottles can be accepted for consignment only with our prior approval. Bottles with particularly low ullage levels or whose content appears questionable will not be auctioned.

In order to get an idea of the value of the wines you intend to sell, start with sending us a list of the wines.

INQUIRE ABOUT YOUR WINES

What to expect

Based on your list, we will provide you free of charge with a non-binding estimate of your wines and advise you on the optimal auction method, timing and logistics. You may bring the wines to our premises in Zürich in person, or we can arrange for their shipment to us. Should you decide to consign your wines to Steinfels, you will receive an auction contract with our conditions of consignment.

Steinfels structures the wines in lots and assigns the lots to an auction. In principle lots with an estimate below CHF 150 will be assigned to a monthly E-auction.

A humorous cartoon showing two women at a restaurant table, with one woman surprised and the other smiling, while staff bring a giant bottle of wine to the table. The table has a sign that says 'Heinel's Big Nine List.' A wagon with a sign that reads 'Groeiner's Delivery' is on the floor. The caption at the bottom reads 'Just a splash, please!'

What happens next?

Once the wines have arrived at Steinfels, at the latest six weeks before the relevant auction, they are checked thoroughly by our experts and then photographed and described for the catalogue. At this point the estimates will also be validated according to the condition of the bottles.

At the latest fourteen days before the auction the consignor receives an E-mail with a list of his lots as well as a link to the online catalogue. A print copy of the auction catalogue is available upon request.

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Auction and pricing structure

Lots not sold at auction will be offered for sale until noon of the next working day following the auction at a defined minimum price (one bidding increment above the auction starting price) Such purchases are subject to the same terms as those applying to wines sold at auction.

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  • Price Range                    Bidding Increment

    0 – 99 CHF                                          5 CHF

    100 – 199 CHF                                     10 CHF

    200 – 999 CHF                                     20 CHF

    1’000 – 1’999 CHF                              50 CHF

    2’000 – 9’999 CHF                            100 CHF

    10’000 – 20’000 CHF                       200 CHF

    Over 20’000 CHF                              500 CHF

  • Price Range                    Bidding Increment

    0 – 99 CHF                                         2 CHF

    100 – 199 CHF                                        5 CHF

    200 – 499 CHF                                     10 CHF

    Over 500 CHF                               500 CHF

The consignor receives an E-mail with his auction results at the latest twenty-one days after an auction containing lots of the consignor. Payment to the consignor follows at the latest fourteen days later. Our commissions and fees are directly deducted from the pay-out.

We are happy to offer you a complimentary consultation for any clarifications.

For larger wine collections, we can send an expert to your cellar to establish a list of your wines and either bring them directly to our premises or package them professionally for the shipment.

General terms and conditions apply.

Schedule a complimentary consultation

USE OUR TEMPLATE TO INQUIRE
Close-up of a wine bottle with a red cap and a green neck label, against a light background.

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

Close-up of a wine bottle neck with measurements indicating 2.5 cm and 4.0 cm

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.