C.P. Huntington wine, commemorative collection, 1980
From: "JAMES KNAPP" sknapp3@sbcglobal.net
I have an unopened bottle of C.P. Huntington wine, commemorative collection No. 1, collectors bottle No. 0086. ... This bottle holds an Zinfandel early release of 1980. The bottle was wrapped in a yellowed two sided letter describing the selections presented to the California State Railroad Museum to be placed in the cornerstone time capsule. A guess of the value would be appreciated.
posted from CPRR Discussion Group at 1:57 PM
2 Comments:
From: "Kevin Bunker" mikadobear45@yahoo.com
It's hard to say, but don't open it! Frankly, as California Zins go, it wasn't a great vintage nor a very commendable demonstration of a winemaker's skills.
As a former member of the CSRM artifacts and collections staff (and a lover of Zinfandels) I dare say that any value it may have is purely as a collectible. These days, the collectibles market is driven by auctions (much as usual) and, more controversially, by Ebay online auction sales. I suspect the greater value would be with some line of provenance tying it and the owner directly to CSRM's creation and the May 1980 opening of the Museum of Railroad History. An unopened case would have likely greater value still. You might try Googling the label and see what interest this wine might be fetching in the broader collectibles market.
—Kevin
I had the opportunity to visit with Mr. Knapp today, and see the bottle. It appears the winemaker was intimately involved with his craft, as the label says:" Sacramento emerged in the 1850's as Calfornia's first RR center with SACRAMENTO VALLEY LINES being the state's first commercial rail line, engineered by T. D. Judah. In 1864 came the powerful CENTRAL PACIFIC formed by the "Big Four"; C. P. Huntington, M. Hopkins, C. Crocker and L. Stanford. The Central Pacific wa later known as the Southern Pacific.
The C. P. Huntington, shipped around Cape Horn in 1864, became the Sacramento Valley Lines/S.P. #1 Locomotive in 1871.
The production of this bottle commemorates the CALIFORNIA STATE RAILROAD MUSEUM May 2, 1981."
Ah, the perils of drink and history.......... gjg
Post a Comment
<< Recent Messages