Published: 11:07, September 11, 2025
Hong Kong tycoon Albert Yeung fetches $2.3 million in wine auction
By Bloomberg
This screenshot taken from the official website of auction house Sotheby's shows an overview of Albert Yeung Sau-shing's wine collection titled "The Majestic Cellar of Dr. Albert Yeung".

Hong Kong businessman Albert Yeung Sau-shing sold a collection of fine wine for HK$17.7 million ($2.3 million) in a Sotheby’s auction, almost 77 percent higher than pre-sale estimates.

All of the 161 wine lots sold, and the amount raised exceeded Sotheby’s $1.3 million estimate, according to a statement Wednesday from the auction house. The collection, titled “The Majestic Cellar of Dr. Albert Yeung”, includes selections from Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Petrus and Chateau Palmer.

The most expensive lot went for HK$625,000 - three Magnum-sized bottles of Romanee Conti 1997, versus its low estimate of HK$480,000. That was followed by 12 bottles of Petrus 2005, which sold for HK$437,500.

Burgundy led auction sales last year, accounting for more than a third of Sotheby’s global wine auction turnover. Domaine de la Romanee Conti (DRC) alone represented about 20 percent of global wine sales, according to the international auction house.

Hong Kong is an important wine hub in Asia, with zero duties attracting the global wealthy to store their collections in the city. Billionaire Joseph Lau Luen-hung also sold several collections of wine at Christie’s over the past few years, fetching more than $25 million in total.

Yeung, 82, chairs Hong Kong-based Emperor Group, a conglomerate with businesses ranging from real estate to watches and jewelry, entertainment and financial services, according to its website. Emperor International Holdings, its listed property unit, said in June that it had more than HK$16.6 billion overdue loans as of March 31. The developer has sent debt restructuring proposals to lenders and won the backing of a key group of banks, Bloomberg News reported last month.