iDealwine Barometre show white wine gaining traction at auction

auction update – in association with iDealwine

An ever-increasing number of enthusiasts are buying white wines, bucking historical norms, according to analysis of the latest auction trends, iDealwine's annual auction report, the Barometer, has shown.  While Pinot Noir is leading the wine world, with enthusiasts on the hunt for delicate expressions from Burgundy, New Zealand, Oregon and a few surprising regions such as Roussillon (where Hervé Bizeul and Jean-Yves Bizot’s 100 Phrases Pour Éventail stole the show), white wine is gaining traction, according to iDealwine's latest annual auction report, the Barometer. Each year, France's leading wine auction house analyses the results from the previous year, identifying key trends and producers to follow closely and while for years, white wine was underrepresented at auction, due to the general consensus that the wine wouldn’t age as well as reds, and therefore not appreciate in value in the same way either. But this has changed. However, white wine (dry, sweet and sparkling) now makes up 28.7% of all bottles sold in iDealwine auctions, up from 23.7% in 2019. Burgundy’s Chardonnay leads this category, but other regions in France are seeing their share of white wine at auction increasing too. For example the Loire, the Rhône, Savoie and Jura all saw white wine leave a lasting impression in 2024. While the Loire Valley produces a remarkable array of wines in all three colours, it is the whites – ranging from dry to sweet to sparkling – that dominate. Renowned for their freshness and complex aromas, they are perfectly aligned with evolving consumer preferences. Last year, dry whites (including a handful of orange wines) accounted for 56% of all Loire bottles sold at auction, with an average price of €79, sitting just above the regional average of €77, demonstrating that this is a place worth exploring.

Rhône Valley whites

When it comes to the Rhône Valley, the growing love of white wine can be seen in the rankings of the highest-priced white bottles, where the average auction price rose by 30% on the previous year to €323. At the top of this list is a sweet wine – a rare Vin de Paille from Jean-Louis Chave, which sold for €680 for a 1996 half-bottle (or €1,360 a bottle when scaled to 750ml). Unsurprisingly, Château Rayas is represented in these rankings with a bottle from 2008 (coming in second place), alongside two other Châteauneuf-duPapes. But it’s the northern Rhone appellations that dominate these rankings with seven Hermitages (from icons such as Jean-Louis Chave, Chapoutier and Jaboulet, and hard-to-find producers Bernard Faurie and Marc Sorrel) and three Saint-Josephs, including a 2001 from Raymond Trollat, taking the bronze medal position. Bottles from this winemaker, who embodies the excellence of the appellation, are now all the more sought after as his vines have been passed on to other producers (one of whom is Pierre Gonon, a star of the appellation, who also features in the rankings). Eight places in the top 10 highest-priced bottles from Savoie were filled with white wines in 2024. The region’s iconic Prieuré Saint-Christophe estate claims the top spot with a 2013 Vin des Allobroges Altesse crafted by Michel Grisard, which was sold for €750, well above the region’s €100 per bottle average. Savoie’s native grape varieties are celebrated in these rankings, which honour Altesse (also known as Roussette), Gringet and one Mondeuse (a red grape variety), along with white wines made from Roussanne and Chardonnay. 56% of the bottles from this niche auction segment that went under iDealwine’s hammer last year contained white wines, testament to their current popularity on the secondary market. Jura, Savoie’s counterpart, is equally praised for its native grape varieties, but Chardonnay is attracting attention. White wine dominates Jura’s production, and it’s even more prominent in the region’s top 20 most coveted wines from 2024. These rankings feature just a single red wine – the 2018 Poulsard produced by Domaine des Murmures, which sits in seventh place, having been sold for €550. White wines take centre stage, led by Pierre Overnoy’s iconic Vin Jaune, which obtained €1,125 for the 2018 vintage (€1,361 when scaled to 750ml).

Burgundy is king

Leaving the most illustrious to last, Burgundy’s white wines accounted for 38% of its sales last year (compared with 35% in 2023). In fact, 26,657 bottles were sold at auction, representing a record increase of 37% in terms of volume. White grands crus make up 3,700 of these bottles (when scaled to 750ml), which can be divided between the Côte de Beaune (61%) and Chablis (39%). The Côte de Nuits accounts for less than 1%. The average price for the region’s white grands crus was €459 in 2024, almost double that for all Burgundy wine (€250). Seven Burgundian Chardonnays made it into iDealwine’s rankings of the top 50 highest-priced wines from all 2024 auctions. Leading the way in this deeply contested category are two vineyards owned by Domaine d’Auvenay. The bottles, both from the same year, 2005, come from Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet (€16,875, in 13th place) and Chevalier-Montrachet (€16,000, in 16th). With enthusiasts opting for wines with fresh, complex aromas, white wines are perfectly aligned with evolving consumer preferences. The effects of climate change, especially warmer summers creating red wines with higher alcohol content, and the decrease in meat consumption also lead wine lovers to this colour of wine. These factors, coupled with the fact that more people enjoy wine not necessarily as a meal pairing, mean that this trend is likely to continue.