2024 to forget for fine wines: loss closing around double digits for Liv-Ex

Deep in red until November 2024, the Liv-Ex indices closed the year just past with a drop that in many cases nearly reached -10%, in some, even exceeded it, with Italy defending itself better than the others, as happened throughout the year, but still closing just below -7%. It is a merciless verdict, for investors and collectors in fine wines, that of the latest data for the last year of Liv-Ex, the English platform considered to be the benchmark of this peculiar market. The Liv-Ex 100, the reference index, marked -9.1% (it includes, for Italy, Barolo 2019 by Bartolo Mascarello, Barolo Monfortino Riserva 2014 and 2015 by Giacomo Conterno, Barolo Falletto Vigna Le Rocche Riserva 2017 by Bruno Giacosa, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2016 by Biondi-Santi, Barbaresco 2019 by Gaia, Sassicaia 2018, 2019 and 2020 by Tenuta San Guido, Solaia 2019 and Tignanello 2019 and 2020 by Antinori, Redigaffi 2020 by Tua Rita, Ornellaia 2020 and Masseto 2019 and 2020 by Frescobaldi group) which becomes -21.9% in two years. Even worse is the Liv-Ex 1000, the broadest of the indexes, at -11.7% in 2024, and -23.7% in the last two years. With resounding losses, among others, of the Burgundy 150 (-15.2%), the Champagne 50 (-11.7%), the Bordeaux 500 (-11.3%), and with negative signs for all other sub-indices, none excluded.
Neither does the Italy 100, which little consoles itself with the “least worst” award, with a drop of -6.8% in 2024 (increasing at -12.4%) for the index made up of Barolo di Bartolo Mascarello of all the vintages from 2010 to 2019, as well as of Barbaresco by Gaja, from Barolo Monfortino Riserva di Giacomo Conterno of vintages 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014, and 2015, from Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto Riserva by Bruno Giacosa 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2017, and still all the vintages from 2011 to 2020 of Sassicaia, Solaia, Tignanello, Ornellaia, and Masseto, and Flaccianello della Pieve di Fontodi.
A 2024 year-end “balance sheet” that confirms all the difficulties of the wine market, even in the top-of-the-range. Hoping that 2025 will have, since its beginning, no matter how difficult, a completely different trend and recovery.