Penfolds break the $1,000 price barrier

AUSTRALIA'S MOST EXPENSIVE NEW RELEASE WINE! trumpets news.com.au, in reference to the latest offering from Penfolds. The wine is the 2008 vintage of Special Bin 620, a Cabernet/Shiraz blend from Coonawarra.

In 2010, headlines were blaring about Torbreck's The Laird, a 2005 Shiraz from the Barossa Valley which was released at AU$700, making it Australia's priciest bottle at the time. That sum is roundly trumped today, because Special Bin 620 costs a nice round AU$1,000 (£639, $1,007) per bottle. 

And where in the world might receive such a wine with the widest arms and the fattest wallets? Yes, China of...