ABOUT US

Corks & Caps is an online auction house specializing in premium alcoholic beverages including wine, beer, and spirits. Our selections range from entry-level products all the way to the most exclusive, rare, and even unique wines and spirits. Everything we auction is assessed by us on the origin and, where possible, tested for technical drinkability and value for money.

At Corks and Caps, we offer you the perfect opportunity to become acquainted with our selection of unique products, often for a very friendly price tag, no matter what your taste preferences may be… After all, as the archetypal lovers of liquid grape, the Ancient Romans, would say; “De Gustibus non est disputandum” (there is no disputing about taste).

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Who we are

Allow us to introduce ourselves; Richard van Leest (Vinologist and Trader/Broker in international trade since 2000) and Pablo Leon Piredda (wine adept and BBA student in International Business).

In addition to our friendship, we nurture a common interest and passion for exclusive beverages. Our collaboration in Corks & Caps is extremely complementary; we combine years of experience and thorough knowledge in the industry with a new, young, and dynamic élan.

Richard van Leest is the co-founder and former owner of a fine wine store in The Hague (Vintage Rare & Old Wines) and has extensive experience in the field of buying and selling at wine auctions (mostly abroad). He graduated from the HotelSchool in Maastricht, was a trader in the service of a large international trading company selling high-end wines and spirits (to China, among others). For the last 20 years, he owns the trading company http://topwinestrading.com. Richard is a specialist in the field of (excise) logistics and since 2004 Vinologist of the Wine Academy. 

Pablo Piredda is an International Business student of Italian/German descent who also works part-time as a salesman in a boutique wine store in The Hague. He is currently undertaking the final year of his bachelor’s degree at the Hogeschool Utrecht, and possesses a fine talent in the fields of sales & marketing. Pablo has dexterity and experience with Social Media and Online/Direct Sales and possesses great communication and interpersonal skills. To top it off he manages a valuable network of international contacts, which contribute directly, amongst other things, to the growth and development of this platform.

Our vision

Corks & Caps’ ‘raison d’être’ is to serve the connoisseur and the professional trader, however, above all, we endeavour to be there for the enthusiast who longs to discover and add new flavours to their collection. It is our conviction that (ripened) vintage wines, but also the more traditionally brewed or distilled products, deserve much more attention than they get, and at Corks & Caps one of our primary aims is to achieve this. 

Due to an efficiency-oriented approach, (read: payback period) in today’s market, large companies spare little to no room for bottles to evolve with time after their manufacturing process and become more interesting organoleptically (read: richer). Instead, the production planning process for food and beverages nowadays aims at the quickest possible return on investment, meaning that focus is placed on fast consumption and shelf life is reduced as a consequence of this.

At Corks & Caps we, therefore, advocate ‘SLOW’, because as wine lovers we are well acquainted with the knowledge that the ‘cost’ of time (and patience) reaps rewards both in character and taste. This applies to most products of a high (base) quality; be it a piece of meat, undergoing curation or oven slow-cooking, or a bottle of fine wine, maturing in the cellar. 

Our mission

On top of the auctioning process, we firmly believe that the intake of bottles to be auctioned is one of the most satisfying and rewarding aspects of the profession; After all, behind every owner, cellar, collection, and single bottle is a story…

Although this platform is functionally designed for the sale of old wines, unique beers, and “cool” spirits, we place equal value on educating the general public in this area. As wine lovers, we know just how much there is to tell about old wines, and we would like to offer you the whole story. In addition to the why, when, and with whom, we would like to educate you on the process. This includes; how to open an old bottle, how to keep it, when/how to serve it, what you need to know about its taste, what the right food pairings are, and how we judge the (commercial) value of our bottles.

So, to sum it all up, if you are an enthusiast, and you fancy a glass full of history and character, then Corks & Caps is the right place for you!

It would be a real shame to miss out on our unique bottles or batches, especially at such advantageous prices, don’t you think? 

…so, take your chance and bid!

(Ps. we are also available to help you with a (non-binding) valuation of your assortment/stock, as well as any inquiries to sell your liquid collection for a market-based price in public. So don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions).