A private wine collection belonging to fashion designer Marie-France Van Damme is set to go under the hammer in Hong Kong, offering a rare chance to “acquire wines shaped by one of fashion and design’s most sophisticated eyes”.
The sale, titled ‘Icons of Elegance: The Private Wine Collection of Marie-France Van Damme’, will run online from 19 May to 3 June 2026 through Bonhams Hong Kong.
The 270-lot collection has been assembled over more than three decades and focuses heavily on Bordeaux wines, including rare vintages from some of the region’s most prestigious estates.
Born in Montreal, Van Damme moved from New York to Hong Kong in the 1980s and later established her luxury resort wear label, known internationally for its understated and refined style. Alongside her fashion career, she and her husband became known for collecting Asian art, design objects and fine wines.
According to Bonhams, the couple began seriously collecting wine in the 1990s, driven by a passion for entertaining friends and family. Many of the wines were purchased en primeur, and have since been carefully stored, often in their original wooden cases.
“Curating my cellar reflects how I approach life — shaped by a longstanding appreciation for beautiful things and guided entirely by personal taste,” said Van Dammem ahead of the auction. “Many of the wines I have collected are intertwined with meaningful moments, reflecting decades of joyful memories and experiences,” she added.
Among the standout bottles is a 1961 Pétrus, regarded as one of Bordeaux’s most celebrated vintages, with an estimated value of HK$48,000 to HK$70,000 (£4,500 to £6,600).
Other notable lots include:
- A banded original wood case of Lafite Rothschild 2010 (three 3-litre bottles), estimated at HK$46,000 to HK$65,000
- Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti 1975, estimated at HK$70,000 to HK$100,000
- Château Latour 2009 (12 bottles), estimated at HK$60,000 to HK$80,000
- Château Cheval Blanc 2010 (12 bottles), estimated at HK$60,000 to HK$80,000
The auction also features a rare bottle of Saute Loup 2010, a wine reportedly produced exclusively for family and close friends of Pétrus.
Terrence Tang, Bonhams’ head of wine & spirits for Asia, described the collection as “more than a cellar”.
“It is a portrait of a life lived with taste,” he said, adding that the sale offered buyers “a rare opportunity to acquire wines shaped by one of fashion and design’s most sophisticated eyes”.
The auction forms part of a broader series of wine and spirits sales in Hong Kong this May, featuring more than 1,300 lots ranging from fine Bordeaux to rare Japanese whisky.
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