William Sokolin smashes $500,000 bottle of wine
On this day 23d April 1989

On one level, you've got to feel a little sorry for William Sokolin. Sokolin is a New York wine merchant who made the news in a rather unlikely way. He was in possession of a bottle of wine said to have been owned at one time by Thomas Jefferson. The bottle was reported to be 202 years old. At New York's Four Seasons restaurant, Sokolin was displaying the bottle of 1787 Chateau Margaux before a gathering of wine experts. Sokolin was endeavouring to sell the bottle of wine for $519,750. According to news reports, Sokolin was holding the bottle so that the gathered wine-lovers could see it and accidentally banged the bottle against a tray, following which he "felt a liquid running down his leg." Sokolin had knocked two holes in the bottle. The wine quickly leaked out.