We’re living in wine’s golden era. Thanks to huge technological investments, wines produced in the last 20 years are the best the world has ever seen*.
And yet, this coincides with shifting market dynamics. We are consuming less, but better. At the same time, treatment of fine wine purely as a financial asset on which to speculate has grown to new heights. The result: icon wines are changing hands (and thus moving physically) more than ever before.
As wine enthusiasts, we celebrate the plethora of high-quality options for wine drinking today. As advisors building fine wine collections that will stand the test of time, we apply a strict methodology in creating a veritable time capsule of today’s golden era. This defines our selection, sourcing, and safekeeping of wines from the producers we love and respect.
*based on average scores from RobertParker.com of top Bordeaux & Burgundy.
Selection
Given the abundance of exceptional wines available, discerning collectors must be highly selective. Opportunities to enjoy iconic bottles of wine over the years are sadly not infinite, so every ounce of value counts, and a firm confirmation that the wines we choose will age gracefully is imperative. Moments for consumption aside, any parcels resold down the line must be timeless – only wines of the highest calibre will be sought-after enough to ensure strong liquidity in the future.
Sourcing
Not only what you choose but how it is sourced plays into the level of rarity. Price appreciation notwithstanding, our sense of urgency to safeguard the treasures produced in the recent past is about access to these wines in perfect condition. With today’s frequency of “wine trading”, some wines may appear available on the secondary market, but these come without guarantee of careful handling. The great monopole La Romanée-Conti is one of the top traded wines in the world, and yet less than 5’000 bottles are made each year – that’s a lot of hands (as well as the addition of fakes) to contend with.
Safekeeping
Finally, preservation, and documented proof of perfect provenance are essential in safeguarding a time capsule of vinous treasures. Making the right selection, and direct access means nothing if there is no evidence of this to speak of in the future. We work tirelessly on the basis that in 20+ years, wines with full traceability – proof that they have been purchased at the estates, transported correctly, and stored in optimum conditions ever since – will be the pinnacle of fine wine sourcing. Like owning an original Picasso or passing on a Patek Philippe, preserving our golden era of fine wines is not just another investment – it is owning and transmitting a piece of history.