Now You Can Drink Like The (French) President

Ever thought to yourself, "I want to drink like a president"? Now you sort of can — news of the presidential wine cellar being auctioned off has Francophiles everywhere excited to drink as the French do. 

Nearly 1,200 bottles will be up for grabs, according to The Huffington Post, with prices ranging from €15 (nearly $20) to €2,200 (about $2,900). It's the first time that the Élysée Palace will sell off some of its huge wine cellar, which undoubtedly will make prices of the wines climb higher. But of course, the 1,2000 bottles being auctioned are only about one-tenth of the presidential wine cellar, The New York Times says, so, you know, don't be worried about the French presidents being without their wine. Some of the wines for auction, says The New York Times: "Three bottles of 1990 Château Petrus, estimated to be worth $3,000 to $3,400 a bottle, and a 1998 Meursault Premier Cru, a fine white burgundy. There will also be bottles of 1975 Château Lafite Rothschild, estimated at more than $1,000 each, and 1985 Krug Champagne, as well as Champagne from Salon, some of the world's rarest and most expensive." (So while President Obama is home-brewing, the French presidents are drinking pretty darn good wine.) 

The whole point of the auction, says The New York Times, is a "return to austerity," as French president François Hollande has tried to appeal to a more modest state of affairs. In a statement, the Élysée said that "the proceeds from this sale will be reinvested in more modest wines, and the excess will be returned to the state budget."