Thriller Writer Ken Follett's Wine Cellar Goes Under the Hammer

A selection from the personal wine cellar of bestselling Welsh writer Ken Follett is on offer in the Christie's online Fine and Rare Wines & Spirits sale running until June 18.

Follett's novels have sold around 200 million copies worldwide including his 1978 breakthrough book Eye of the Needle and The Pillars of the Earth is a well-known wine enthusiast - he celebrated the sale of each of his early books with a bottle of Bollinger Champagne. He chose fine wine as his luxury item on the longrunning BBC Radio programme Desert Island Discs, where he said that “Wine is a great consolation when you're on your own… The only way I could survive being cut off from my family and friends would be with an unlimited supply of fine wine.”

Christie's wine specialist Charles Foley told Fine Books: "We are thrilled to offer wines from Ken Follett’s cellar, a striking meeting point between literature and wine. His selection reflects a clear sense of character and intent. It is nice to see Pingus and Flor de Pingus and Psi in his collection in magnum, alongside classic Bordeaux. This is evidence of a true wine connoisseur, branching out from the classics as the world of wine changes. It is always interesting to see a writer’s personal collection revealed in this way, offering a glimpse into a life where craft and taste clearly matter.”
 
The sale includes bottles and magnums from his home cellar, featuring wines such as Bordeaux estates including Château Pichon, Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, and Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste.