At Catawiki, we auction a wide range of rare and premium fortified wines and sweet wines including: Port, Sherry, Madeira and Dessert Wines from all over the world. Each object is carefully reviewed by our in-house experts to ensure authenticity, collectability, and value — offering bidders a trusted experience and sellers the best opportunity for success.

Follow these guidelines to maximise your chances of a successful sale.

What we accept

We accept a variety of collectable and premium fortified and sweet wines, provided they meet our standards for quality and collectability. To be accepted, your object must:

• Fall within our accepted categories:
  • Sealed original bottles with capsules intact
  • Original sealed or unsealed wooden cases with the original bottles. For all vintages prior to 2005 we would require to open the seal case/coffret in order to insert images of the current condition (fill, color, capsule)
  • Premium Port, Sherry, Madeira, and sweet wines with strong collectability or ageing potential
  • Branded, high-quality wine accessories (e.g. limited-edition corkscrews, wine-themed storage)
• Be authentic premium or aged fortified and sweet wines
• Have an acceptable fill level per wine type:
  • Sweet wines:
    • Very good: neck, base neck, top shoulder, upper shoulder
    • Acceptable: mid shoulder
    • Port, Sherry & Madeira:
    • A small loss of volume is acceptable due to high alcohol and oxidative ageing
• Be sealed and in good condition:
  • Properly sealed with capsule & cork intact, no needle holes or shrinkage
  • Label should be readable, not mouldy or crumbling
  • Colour must be clear, no cloudiness or discolouration
• Be not widely available: current mass-market or supermarket fortified and sweet wines are not eligible
• Meet the minimum expected value of of €75, at least €15 per bottle or €25 per magnum 
   (You can combine objects in one submission to meet this threshold)

What increases your chances of approval

• Wines from the most desired classifications & appellations:
  • France:
    • Sauternes Cru Classé
    • Loire: Bonnezeaux, Quarts de Chaume
  • Italy:
    • Veneto: Recioto
    • Tuscany: Vin Santo 
    • Sicily: Vintage or Solera Marsala
  • Spain:
    • Jerez: Amontillado, Palo Cortado, Oloroso, Añada Sherry
  • Portugal:
    • Douro: Vintage Port, Colheita Port, Aged Tawny (10+ years)
    • Madeira: Vintage Madeira, Solera Madeira
  • Germany:
    • Mosel, Rheingau, Rheinhessen: Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, Eiswein
  • Austria:
    • BA, TBA and Eiswein
  • South Africa:
    • Constantia sweet wines

📌 Examples of accepted objects: 

What we do not accept

To keep our auctions high-quality and trustworthy, we do not accept:

• Opened, empty, dummy, or display bottles
• Champagne cap collections
• Multiple generic corkscrews
• Empty wooden wine cases
• Basic Ruby and Tawny Port without ageing potential
   (e.g. Dow’s Fine Ruby or Barros Tawny)
• Sweet wines with a fill level below mid shoulder (unless exceptionally rare/vintage)
• Port, Sherry and Madeira with a fill level far below low shoulder = not accepted unless high commercial value
  
  

📌 Examples of rejected objects:

Getting your submission ready

1. Fill in all the object details following the submission flow and write a clear description

When you submit a whisky, you’ll see fields to guide you in providing the right information — such as type of wine (e.g. Port, Sherry, Madeira, Sweet Wine), vintage (year), name of the wine and/or producer, classification (e.g. Colheita, Solera, Vintage), number of bottles, bottle size, country and region, fill level, original packaging (e.g. wooden case), capsule and cork condition, label condition, critic score, etc. These fields ensure your listing is clear, searchable, and easy for bidders to understand.

Please also use the object description field to share:

• Background on the wine, producer, or vintage
• Details about the release (e.g. limited edition, discontinued, vintage year)
• Condition notes (e.g. storage history, any visible wear on labels or packaging)
• Provenance
• Notes on packaging (e.g. original crate or box included) and shipping method
• Additional historical or production notes

Tip: The more detail you provide, the easier it is for bidders to understand the value of your object – and the more likely it is to sell. Find here more tips on how to write a clear, accurate description.

📌Example of a well-written description:

“2022 Taylor’s Sentinels Vintage Port – 0.75L

A benchmark Vintage Port crafted by winemaker David Guimaraens, blending traditional Douro varieties. Deep purple-black in color, it delivers powerful aromas of blackcurrant, plum, cherry, mint, and rose petals. The palate shows freshness, purity, and precision, with layers of damsons, plums, and black cherries leading to a long, elegant finish.

Critical Acclaim:

• 94 pts Wine Spectator
• 94 pts Decanter
• 93 pts Robert Parker

The bottle was always kept in a professional cellar at controlled temperature. Item will be shipped using specialized packaging ensuring shock absorption and temperature stability”