PARIS, France – The Eiffel Tower’s venerable Tour d’Argent restaurant will be auctioning off 18,000 rare wines from its famous cellar this December. Some bottles date back to 1875, and were unearthed from the cellar covered in a matted black fungus. In addition to the wines, a smaller selection of spirits will also be up for auction, including a cognac from 1788.
Auction prices are set to start at €10 ($15) a bottle, and will top out around €2,500 -€3,000 ($3,716 – $4,459) for each of the three 1788 cognacs. The event, which is scheduled for Dec. 7 and 8 and will be run by French auctioneer Piasa, is rumoured to bring in €1 million ($1.5 million).
All bottles up for sale will also bear the restaurant’s tiny Eiffel tower insignia as a mark of added authenticity.
