Liv-ex turns twenty this year and it is worth noting the significant impact the exchange has had on the fine wine market in the last two decades. Liv-ex was established in 2000 by former City professionals, Justin Gibb and James Miles, with just ten merchants as their first trade members. With the aim of delivering a service which could be likened to the function of a financial Stock Exchange, the pair have been instrumental in providing a trade platform and new technologies which have provided price transparency and trading efficiency to the fine wine market.
The evolution of Liv-ex has been instrumental in the growth and broadening of the global fine wine market. With enhanced visibility and access to a broadening number of wines and regions, Liv-ex has facilitated a secondary market for a growing number of producers previously without the capability to establish such trading relationships and routes to market. This has resulted in increasing investor confidence and engagement with a fast growing fine wine market.
In 2020, Liv-ex has almost 500 professional members located in 44 countries around the world, who are actively trading in 20,000 wines from over 30 regions. The Directors state that Liv-ex is now the world’s largest market place for fine wine with over £70million value currently being traded by its merchant members.
In terms of fine wine investment, Liv-ex has been and continues to be incredibly important as a trading platform but also as the provider of essential information through price performance analysis, industry benchmarks and trends data and significant market news. Their information is used by trade members, financial institutions and media to provide guidance to investors, whether private or institutional, with an interest in fine wine investment. Liv-ex benchmarks provide the means for investors in fine wine to compare asset performance with financial markets and commodities such as gold and oil. This data helps a growing number of global fine wine investors to have a greater understanding and engagement with rewarding alternative investment.
As Vin-X celebrates its 10th anniversary in March 2020 we want to congratulate the Liv-ex team on their 20 year achievements so far and wish them continued success. Vin-X is a registered trade member of Liv-ex.
For more information on Liv-ex, the fine wine market and investing in fine wine, see our Guide to Investing and Collecting in Fine Wine or call our team on 0203 384 2262.