“Red wine is a great accompaniment to meat,” Mario Lemieux, a retired Canadian professional hockey player and wine collector, once said. Well, Mario, especially if the red wine is way far more expensive than the meat you are gorging on.Over the years, the prices of some red wines have stolen the limelight away from the wine itself. Whether because of an iconic label, a former famous owner, or just simply a rare and highly valuable vintage, the wines in this list are surely some of the most lavish liquid purchases in the entire history.Buying any of the wines on this list would make most of us declare bankruptcy. However, if you have the money or the mood to buy a really expensive bottle then here are some of the most expensive and finest red wines in the world.This is not a definitive list admittedly, as the items here are sold differently: some are sold per bottle, jeroboam, or double-magnum.The wine market, please take note, has a lot of intermediaries which may have a direct effect on the prices.

Importers, wholesalers, as well as retailers are in the market to make a profit, so prices of wines may change depending on which level you’re dealing with. In addition, the prices of wines in auctions generally get out of hand and may result in heftier price tags.Considered one of the best vintages ever produced by its estate, 2009 Chateau Margaux’s three 12-liter bottles are offered for US$195,000 by exclusive wine merchant Le Clos in Dubai International Airport.Only six Balthazars have been produced, and only three of them are up for sale; all available exclusively through Le Clos. It is housed in a grand case of oak and raised on steel legs, with beautiful gold engravings by master craftsmen.It is quite amazing that this wine, which has around 750 ml in every bottle, is authenticated to be just 150 years old. If you want a bottle of this wine, feel free to shell out around $ 24,577 (that excludes tax, of course). However, if you are really feeling magnanimous and want a double-magnum bottle of the wine, you can have it for just around $124,469.In 2006, a double magnum of this wine was sold for a record $111,625 at a Sotheby’s auction.

The average price per glass? About $4,650.This wine enjoys the good reputation of the world’s finest Pinot Noir. Production is limited due to the strict yields but also because of the desire to capture the luscious fruit flavors in the berries. This wine is produced on a tiny parcel of land where vines are on the average over 50 years old.In 1996, eight bottles of this elegant wine were sold at Sotheby’s for US $224,900. The average price for a bottle of this wine is $20,975.The average price for a 750 ml bottle of this wine is $16,992. In 2007, a jeroboam of this wine, regarded as one of the greatest vintages of the previous century—was sold to a bidder at Sotheby’s New York. An astounding $310,700 or almost $77,675 per 750-ml bottle. A decade earlier, a jeroboam of this fine wine was bought by an anonymous bidder at Christie’s, London. The $114,614 price-tag is almost equal to $23,000 per 750 ml.Sold in 2004 for $24,675, this Cabernet is owned by Francis Ford Coppola. According to Coppola himself it was one of the best he’d ever had.

“There is a signature violet and rose petal aroma that completes this amazingly well-preserved, robust wine that had just finished fermentation at the time of Pearl Harbor.” he said.One of the most expensive wines in the world, Cheval Blanc 1947 enjoys the privileged status of being one of only two wines that have been awarded the Class A status in the Classification of Saint-Emilion wine. buy fruit wine onlineIn 2006, a three-liter bottle of this fine wine was bought at Vinfolio in San Francisco for $135,125 ($33,781 per 750 ml).buy wine glasses near meAt $38,420 per bottle, Penfolds Grange Hermitage 1951 is considered the most expensive Australian wine. best way to save an open bottle of wineAccording to reports, there are just 20 bottles of this wine that exists at present.

In May 2004, a wine collector in Adelaide shelled out a cool AUS$50,200 for a bottle at an auction house.A bottle of Chateau Lafite 1787 that was linked to Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, was sold to Malcolm Forbes in 1985 for $160,000. Despite issues over the provenance of the wine and link to Jefferson, this wine is among the most expensive single bottles of wine ever sold.Known as the most expensive wine never to be sold, this wine’s initial price was around $500,000. It was authenticated to be once part of the wine collection of Thomas Jefferson.Chateau Margaux 1787 was accidentally shattered in a Margaux Dinner by a waiter who knocked the bottle over and broke it. Insurers paid out around $225,000.This is the Grand Royale of all the most expensive wines out there. In a Napa valley wine auction in 2000, this wine got the highest bid, with a whopping price tag of around $500,000.One wine connoisseur described the wine as: “Exceptionally impressive. Sensational nose of jammy blackcurrants and subtle toasty oak.

Stunningly proportioned, ripe, intense fruit, full body, great purity… inner-core of sweet, creamy, highly extracted blackcurrant/cassis fruit. Category: Financial News, Money & EntertainmentThinking of picking up a bottle of wine for dinner tonight? It might be a good idea to give these bottles a wide berth as they currently are the ten most costly wines in the world.The common assumption that old wine is expensive wine has held true, according to this list. And while the prices are astronomical, they have been described as some of the best wines on the planet., as well as two bottles from Germany. The common assumption that old wine is expensive wine has held true. All of the wines in the top ten list are produced in  France or Germany And although none of them come close to the world’s most expensive red wine – the £122,380 limited edition 12-litre bottle of Chateau Margaux 2009 sold in Dubai last year – their price tags are still eye-wateringly steep.From France’s Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Romanee-Conti Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits which costs £8,310 for a bottle to Henri Jayer Echezeaux Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, also from France at £2,196 these fancy tipples are best considered as investments.

, which compiled the list, wine prices fluctuate according to supply and demand, vintage, the economic conditions of the wine producing country, and age and maturation.Experts say this is the perfect Burgundy and in order to claim the appellation Romanée-Conti Grand Cru, the wine must be made from at least 85 per cent Pinot Noir grapes. The Archbishop of Paris once described it as ‘velvet and satin in bottles.’ The perfect Burgundy: The Archbishop of Paris once described this wine as ‘velvet and satin in bottles Too valuable to drink: This £4,894 bottle of French Burgundy is collector's item The first German wine on the list, this Riesling (left) was given a score of 100 out of 100 by wine criticsProduced from grapes grown on a 2.5-acre site, this Burgundy is said to be full-bodied and rich. the Henri Jayer Cros Parantoux wines – the last vintage of which was in 2001 – are highly sought after by collectors and command thousands of dollars a bottle.The first German wine on the list, this Riesling is produced on the banks of the Moselle River in Germany’s Rheingau vineyard.

German wines are some of the world’s most underrated, no thanks to the proliferation of the infamous Liebfraumilch and Blue Nun bottles which gained in popularity in the Sixties and Seventies. The 2010 vintage was given a score of a 100 out of 100 by wine critics. Individual vineyards in Rheningau, on the banks of Germany's Moselle River The Domaine Leflaive Montrachet Grand Cru (left)  is a biodynamic white wine. The only sweet wine on the list, the Joh. Jos. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling is produced in a vineyard established in the 17th century A biodynamic white wine produced in the famous Puligny-Montrachet estate, the growing cycles of the grapes takes into account the phases of the moon and the positions of the planet. Made from the famous Chardonnay white-wine grape, the wine itself is said to taste smoky, toasty and buttery, with a firm acidity.The second and final German entry on the list, this sweet white is produced at a vineyard which has been in the same family since the 17th century.

According to the site, the wine stands out for its ‘finesse and delicacy, rather than its power.’ The grapes are grown on the precipitously steep, southwest-facing Wehlener Sonnenuhr slpe with its grey slate soil. In order to claim the appelation Romanée-Conti Grand Cru, the wine must be made from 85% Pinot Noir grapes6. Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, France, £3,379.Chemical fertilisers, insecticides and herbicides have not been used on this vineyard for more than a generation. This wine is also biodynamic and the grapes which go into it are sorted individually on tables instead of on a conveyor belt.Described as a ‘seductively fruity wine’ by wine specialists Berry Brothers & Rudd, the Pinot Noir grapes that go into this wine are sorted carefully by hand. The vineyard was founded in 1924 by George Roumier, who began bottling in 1945. The paterfamilias was succeeded by his son Jean-Marie in 1957, who worked alongside his son, Christophe until 1992, when the latter took over the estate.

Wine prices fluctuate according to supply and demand, vintage, the economic conditions of the wine producing country, and age and maturation The 2003-2005 vintages of this wine have received more awards than any other white wine in the regionAccording to winesearcher, this wine has received more awards than any other white wine from the region. The Guide Hachette des Vins awarded the 2005, 2004 and 2003 vintages three stars each. Reviewers have praised the scent of the wine, with one describing the nose as a ‘multi-dimensional aroma of honey and graphite, pear, pineapple, orange peel and vanilla. ‘Produced in a vineyard owned by a family who have been making wine since 1481, the Chave line could lay claim to being France’s winemaking royal family, this wine is made from the dark-skinned red wine Syrah grape, also known as Shiraz. The wine is said to taste floral in its youth, developing more peppery and herbaceous notes as it ages.French vintner Henri Jayer opposed the use of chemicals in vineyards, choosing instead to plow the ground to control weeds.