Additional Coverage:
- ‘Pawn Stars’ boss Rick Harrison refuses to buy 100-year-old champagne due to guest’s mistake (marketrealist.com)
Century-Old Dom Perignon Fails to Impress “Pawn Stars” Boss Due to Storage Blunder
LAS VEGAS – A seemingly invaluable bottle of 1921 Dom Perignon champagne, touted as one of only 100 ever brought to the United States, failed to secure a deal at the world-famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop after owner Rick Harrison determined the century-old bubbly was completely spoiled. The primary culprit? Improper storage by the guest.
The rare vintage, dating back to the inaugural production year for the iconic Dom Perignon brand, was presented to Harrison, who initially recognized its potential historical significance. According to the guest, a similar 1921 bottle had sold for $8,000 in 2004, but with a crucial caveat: the contents had to remain drinkable.
This was not the case for the bottle brought to Harrison. The guest admitted to storing the champagne upright in a liquor cabinet for years, a critical mistake for preserving fine wines and champagnes. Harrison quickly identified the issue, explaining that champagne requires specific, cold storage conditions, ideally with the bottle laid on its side to keep the cork moist.
“Champagne has to be stored really cold,” Harrison stated on the show. “And down on the cork.
I guarantee you, if you open this thing up, you will get sick if you drink it. I don’t want to purchase it because it is not champagne inside anymore, I mean, it’s ruined.”
Despite the ruined beverage, the guest argued that the bottle’s extreme rarity and historical value might still appeal to dedicated collectors. Considering this, Harrison called in fine wine expert Jeff, proprietor of Marche Bacchus, for a professional assessment.
Jeff, a seasoned wine collector, confirmed Harrison’s suspicions. He noted that the cork had dried and shrunk due to incorrect upright storage, allowing the champagne to evaporate and spoil.
He also pointed out significant sedimentation within the bottle, further indicating its ruined state. The expert emphasized that proper champagne storage demands temperatures between 50 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit, 75% relative humidity, and bottles stored horizontally to keep the cork sealed.
Ultimately, Jeff valued the empty bottle itself at around $1,000 for a collector interested solely in the artifact, but declared the champagne inside worthless. Faced with the hassle of finding a niche collector for what was essentially an empty, albeit historic, bottle, Harrison decided against making an offer, leaving the guest to depart without a deal.