AFTER MANY DIFFICULT YEARS, BORDEAUX FINE WINES ARE BACK: THE LIV-EX INDEX SHOWED GROWTH IN AUGUST. AND, ITALY TAKES SECOND PLACE, AHEAD OF BURGUNDY, THANKS TO SASSICAIA

After many difficult years, the fine wines of Bordeaux are back. The low levels in the summer of 2013, one of the worst years of the century, seem far away now due to the renewed spirit of Liv-Ex, considered the benchmark of the secondary market (http://liv-ex.com), in the indexes that apply to the Bordeaux crus. In August, the Liv-ex Fine Wine 50 that indicates the progress of the Premiers Crus of Bordeaux (Haut Brion, Lafite Rothschild, Latour, Margaux and Mouton Rothschild) grew 1.3% compared to July, as did the Liv-ex Fine Wine 100 (0.9%) and the Liv-ex Fine Wine 500 (+0.3%). Performances like these had not been recorded for months and they helped push the trading share of Bordeaux wines to 81.8% (from 76% in July), thanks mainly to the years 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2011, which together account for more than half of the total trade of wines on Liv-Ex.
Positive notes also come from a few Italian brands in the Liv-ex Fine Wine 1000 (the index that lists all wines), thanks to the great performance of Sassicaia 2010 (which has begun September on a high note as well: the 2011 vintage has moved 3.8% of the total market, reaching the quota of 970 pounds per case). And, these bottles accounted for 7.1% of trading in August (better than Burgundy at 6%, but also better than Champagne and Rhone) and other wines are doing very well also - above all, Masseto, Ornellaia and Tignanello.
Yet, despite the performance of Bordeaux and Italy, the Liv-ex Fine Wine 1000 is still in decline, albeit by only 0.1%; and the blame is due to the fall of Champagne 50, at a minus 1.44 %, while Rhone 100 had limited damage at a minus 0.6%. If good news from Liv-Ex is not enough to witness the rebirth of the great wines of Bordeaux, there are two other important data: the reprise of exports with an incredible growth in sales in the first half of 2014 of one of the most important wine merchants in Bordeaux, "Bordeaux Index", both in Asia (+ 52% in volume and 61% in value) and in the USA (331% in volume and 305% in value), and the regained leadership in American auctions, especially Hart Davis Hart and Acker Merrall & Condit.