High-priced lockers for wine collectors

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - It's an amount that is not unheard of for a bottle of wine but a hedge fund banker is paying $15,000 for a wine locker.

The price tag, for what is deemed to be Manhattan's smallest piece of real estate, is the annual fee for a small three-cubic-foot locker at chef Daniel Boulud's new restaurant which is scheduled to open later this year.

"Daniel thought he would do something a little bit out of the ordinary at his new place, Bar Boulud, and create for just these really devoted, connoisseur collectors some private wine lockers," Georgette Farkas, his spokesperson, said in an interview.

She added that some customers have incredible wine cellars but do not have top chefs at home to cook for them, so they like to bring their wines to the restaurant.

"Whenever there is something that has such an impressive price tag on it, it tends to capture people's attention," Farkas explained.

Boulud's limited number of private storage bins are all the rage for wealthy wine enthusiasts who are fighting for a spot on the waiting list.

The banker paid $15,000 for the spot at a charity auction for Citymeals-on-Wheels, a group that provides meals for home-bound elderly people in New York City.

"Daniel Boulud has been a very generous supporter of ours since he opened his first restaurant here in Manhattan," said Heather Gere, director of special events at Citymeals-on-Wheels.

Citymeals-on-Wheels said the $15,000 raised for the locker will pay for 3,000 home-delivered meals.