Investment tips

Prices will start to rise once any given wine starts to become rarer and for this

to happen, corks need to be pulled.

As a result, it is worth buying Bordeaux at least four years old, as great claret is

rarely consumed before this point.

For long-lived wines in great vintages, buy when the wine is around nine years of age, because “drinking windows” start to begin around a decade after

the harvest.

It’s best to avoid buying claret much older than 22 years in age, as the cork can lose its elasticity after 25 years and this can cause a loss in ullage – which is

a vital part of a wine’s value.

There are great estates in Napa, Tuscany, Barolo and Barbaresco that

are collectable, as well as hugely expensive and sought-after domains in Burgundy, along with powerful prestige cuvée Champagne brands. However, cru classé red Bordeaux is

the safest place to invest. This is because the secondary market for great Bordeaux châteaux is truly global and

therefore low risk.

The benefit of buying something widely available and then selling it once it has become rarer and more valuable will only be fully realised if the provenance

of the wine can be proved, and the storage during its time in your care has

been brilliant.

So, buy from a reputable source and, preferably, without taking delivery but keeping the wine “in bond”. This simply means leaving the wine in its original wooden case (OWC) within a warehouse specially designed for storing wine at the right temperature and humidity, and without paying duty

or tax on it.

Such storage providers charge a fee (around £10 per case per year) but the annual charge will be worth it when

it comes to selling the wine. Also, ownership can then change without you

ever handling it.

As for a few estates that are worth considering from an investment perspective, St-emilion’s Château Figeac is seeing demand rise in line with quality, as is Château Canon after a glorious 2015 vintage, while the famous Pétrus offers reliable returns, even though it is already one of the most

expensive wines in Bordeaux.