If you want some good news about the economy, then the Napa Valley is a good place to look - especially following the Napa Valley Vintners 16th annual Premiere Napa Valley wine futures auction over the weekend (February 24-25).
The World Record-breaking auction raised $3.1m in just over three hours (!). Sales were up 31% on last year through the auctioning of 200 unique lots.
According to reports, the saleroom attracted around 1,000 restaurateurs, merchants, distributors, importers and winemakers.
Highlights in the sale included a $70,000 bid for five cases of 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. That's how much one collector was willing to pay to get a first taste of this wine before its official release, at $1,167 per bottle, in September 2013.
But how does an auction like this look from the inside?
You can see for yourself in the above video, courtesy of Stark Insider. The above footage gives you a pass into the Duckhorn Vineyards and the Culinary Institute of America, Greystone in Napa.
