AFTER TWO YEARS IN FREE FALL (LESS 9% IN 2012 AND LESS 15% IN 2011), THE AVERAGE PRICE OF FINE WINES IS READY TO GO UP IN 2013, BY 14%. THE OPTIMISTIC FORECAST IS BY CHRIS SMITH INVESTMENT MANAGER OF THE WINE INVESTMENT FUND

After two years in free fall (less 9% in 2012 and less 15% in 2011), the average price of fine wines, calculated by Liv-ex 100, the reference index for international prices of the 100 best wines in the world is ready to rise in 2013 by 14%. The optimistic Prediction was made by Chris Smith, investment manager of The Wine Investment Fund, the independent UK investment project dedicated to wine who sees 2013 as “the best year since 2009 to invest in fine wine: in the worst case scenario, the losses will not exceed 5%, while an average 25% increase in value of wines on the Liv-ex 100 is absolutely within the limits of the possible”.

This trend reversal, according to Smith, economist in the previous British government, is based on the reversal of three factors that have negatively affected the last two years: the global economic situation, the poor performance of the en primeur sales and an excessive level of sales to institutional investors at the expense of private shares. 2013, however, "will see a recovery of the average price, which began in the second half of 2012, supported by the fact that market recovery will balance the values that fell below the real trend and also that privates will return to investments also because of the uncertainty of monetary policies of European banks, so that wine is placed on the same level as gold and becomes a physical asset whose value cannot be weakened by governments”.