Liv-ex 2018, fine wines on the secondary market in the name of stability. Burgundy at the top

Fine wines on the secondary market will be closing 2018 under the sign of stability, to the extent that wine is considered one of the safest and least volatile investment sectors. Liv-ex 100, the index that ranks the most prestigious wines, is closing the year at a peak + 0.22% growth, and even though the 2011 record is still in the distance, growth has been 32% over the last three years. Merit, first of all, goes to the Bordeaux wines, which will be closing in virtual parity following two years of growth, while Burgundy wines are still soaring. The real news, instead, is the continuous expansion of the market and consequently of wines traded. The index of all indices, Liv-ex 100s which includes Bordeaux 500, Bordeaux Legends 50, Burgundy 150, Champagne 50, Rhone 100, Italy 100 and Rest of the World 50, did even better than Liv-ex 100, as it recorded 10.2% growth, reaching its historical maximum, and topping the growth of the world’s major stock exchanges. Burgundy150 propelled it, and is today at +35.5% weighing for 26%. Champagne also did well (+ 8), then Rhone (+ 5.6%) and Italy (+a2.8%), while the most recent entry, California 50, in its first year of surveys has grown +12.3%. Comparing it with the other markets, fine wines continue to be confirmed a winning bet, just like gold. The merit for this is due to a stable market and the “tangibility” of wine, because it is unlike any other financial product, as it is actually a tangible asset, and builds its value on the fact it is a collector’s item. Overall, 2018 has restored a growing market, even though the Bordeaux is continuing to decrease, falling to 59%, from its 68% share in 2017. At the same time, Burgundy represents 15% of trades (at 12.7 % in 2017), while those of Champagne are at 8%, outdistancing Italian wines. The number of wines marketed on the secondary market has gone from 4.500 in 2017 to 5.700 in 2018, which is + 252% growth of brands on the Liv-ex since 2015, and the topmost performing wines all come from Burgundy - Armand Rousseau at the very top. These are excellent conditions for the New Year, 2019, in the name of strength, while California and Piedmont are right on the launching pad, and we are awaiting the effects of Brexit.