Understanding investment wines

What are they and what do you need to know?

Wine Investment Buy, Hold, or Sell

What are investment wines?

Investment-grade wines are considered by many as 'alternative assets' that can be used to diversify, de-risk and strengthen your investment portfolio. Fine wines used for investment purposes are of the highest quality, created to improve with age.

There is a finite supply of investment wines created each year, or vintage, which must satisfy a growing global demand. Increasing rarity over time, along with quality, brand equity and critical acclaim are factors which drives price growth in an established and rapidly growing, global secondary market.

 

Performance

Fine wine investments produce returns that can outperform equities, gold and alternative assets, such as property. 

The Liv-ex 1000 benchmark rose 14.7% over five years, outstripping the FTSE 100's 7.9% return over the same period.

Champagne is currently the top performing region for investment wines over the long term, averaging 50.2% growth over five years. 

Data source, Liv-ex.com March 2024, data at 29.02.2024

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Fine Wine Qaulity

Quality

Investment wines are of the highest possible quality. This is achieved by the very best wines makers using their expertise at outstanding vineyards. They optimise extraordinary 'terroir', making the most of local grape varietals and climate conditions.

These great wines estates have become famous luxury brands. They generally all have a great heritage of wine-making after decades if not hundreds of years of investment and tradition, which has shaped the winemaking world.

Quality is verified by independent expert critics who are internationally recognised. Their critical reviews are published, with quality scores providing a benchmark that can influence price performance in the secondary market.

All investment wines will score more than 90/100 in the most widely used quality ratings.  

Critics explained

Brand

The most valuable investment wines are globally recognised luxury brands with a rich heritage of wine-making excellence spanning generations. Brand equity is an important factor in fine wine value and the most powerful fine wine brands of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Rhone, Tuscany, Piedmont, California, Spain and Australia attract global investor focus.

Liv-ex's Annual Power 100 Report ranks the most powerful fine wine brands in the world.

Fine Wine Rarity

Rarity

The fundamentals of supply and demand drive the wine investment market.

Only a finite supply of investment wine is made each vintage under strict growing conditions. These wines are created to improve with age.

As they start being consumed they become increasingly rare and all these factors support growth in value over time.

Wine Grapes

Vintage

A new vintage is created each year, shaped by nature and the skill of the winemaker. As climate conditions differ every year, so do crop levels, i.e. supply, and quality scores. The combination of supply and quality will impact the value of investment wines.

Vintages with a regional higher-than-average score are termed ‘Prime’ and can add a price premium to wines of that year. Highly scored wines from Mid (overall average) and Off (lower than average) vintages may also offer value and strong potential for growth. 

Champagne Wine Region

Regional Trend

The fine wine secondary market has broadened from being largely Bordeaux-centric to seeing strong performance in the very highest quality wines from other regions.

The fine wine exchange, Liv-ex measures regional trends in trade, tracking the price performance of key investment wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Rhone, Tuscany, Piedmont, California, Spain and Australia, along with other emerging markets. This analysis is based on data posted by over 620 global merchants members, providing tranparency and key information for investors.

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