Fine wine from Bordeaux has been a more lucrative investment over the past 12 months than gold, crude oil or shares, according to the Liv-Ex Fine Wine Exchange.
Fine wine from Bordeaux has been a more lucrative investment over the past 12 months than gold, crude oil or shares, according to the Liv-Ex Fine Wine Exchange.
The index said its Liv-Ex Fine Wine 50 – which tracks the top five Bordeaux châteaux across ten different vintages – had risen by 57% during 2010, breaking through the 400-point barrier in December.
That compares to a 35% rise in the value of gold over the same period, while crude oil has risen by only 20%. Leading share indices the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 moved up by 13% and 11% respectively.
Liv-Ex said this year’s increases had been driven by ‘exceptionally strong’ demand from Asian markets, and China and Hong Kong in particular.
Director James Miles said Lafite-Rothschild continued to lead the market, with some vintages doubling in value over the past year.
He added: ‘Encouragingly, however, the market broadened considerably in the last few months of 2010 to encompass a number of its Bordeaux peers. We are also starting to see signs that demand is increasing for top Burgundy and Sauternes.’
Written by Richard Woodard
