MARANANGA, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Celebrated winemaker Dave Powell will be the first vintner ever to sell an entire vintage by NFT, when he puts his 2021 single-vineyard vintage wines under the hammer on OpenSea, under his new brand Neldner Road.
Powell, founder of Torbreck and more recently Powell & Son, said the decision to sell the vintage this way made sense.
“I’ve always liked to try new things and when I found out about NFTs, it seemed to fit,” he said. “This reminds me of how wines are sold in Bordeaux through their en primeur system. Like the more ‘traditional’ NFT products, our wine is rare – just 100 barrels; it’s unique – every vintage is different; and it’s the original collectible – the oldest personal wine collection dates back nearly 4,000 years.”
Powell has emulated ultra-luxury wine auctions like the Napa Wine Auction, and included within the NFTs one-of-a-kind experiences, such as:
- Working a day’s vintage with Dave and his crew plus dinner together
- The barrel bottled into personalised wine bottles
- Wine cellared by Neldner Road
- Barrel head with personalised plaque
Some barrels come with a hologram of the barrel, and there are exclusive travel and hospitality experiences with Dave for buyers who buy multiple NFTs or the entire vintage (details here).
Powell rebranded his internationally renowned wines as Neldner Road this year, in recognition of the “sense of place” that is the heart of his life’s work.
“These vineyards are some of the oldest in the world – older than the famous Bordeaux vineyards,” he said. “Over the last 100+ years they have developed rich, complex characters, which are reflected in each wine. It’s taken me 40 years to find these vineyards, work with the owners to rejuvenate them, and create these wines which are the best of my career.”
The 2021 Barossa vintage has been tipped as the best in living memory. “I’ve waited more than four decades to be in the right place at the right time,” Powell jokes. “I feel extraordinarily privileged to have secured the very best grapes from some of the most exceptional vineyards in the Barossa. The climatic conditions that led up to this vintage will never be repeated – I think these wines may well be the best I ever make.”
