Wine Anorak dismantles the romantic idea that en primeur buying automatically pays off, arguing that collectors often forget inflation, annual storage charges, and the opportunity cost of tying money up for years. Jamie Goode runs a worked example of a £1,200 case bought 15 years ago, showing how inflation pushes that to £1,897, storage can lift it to about £2,107, and a modest ETF comparison makes the wine look poor financially, leading him to conclude that, for most buyers, the secondary market now makes more sense than buying futures.
Fine wine
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Andrew Lloyd Webber to Sell Rest of Wine Collection at Auction
The Drinks Business reports that Christie’s will sell the final tranche of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s wine collection, with proceeds going to the Music in Secondary Schools Trust. The bottles come from the cellars at Sydmonton Court, some having been held for more than 50 years, and the sale follows the disposal of most of his collection back in 2011. Beyond the celebrity angle, it shows how elite private cellars continue to supply the fine wine auction market, with provenance and philanthropy adding extra pull for bidders.
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Fine Wine Investment Market Looks for Steady Gains in 2026
Decanter reports that the fine wine secondary market showed more positivity in late 2025 after a long downturn, with early 2026 characterised more by stability than any new bull run, and trade voices expect prices to “bump along the bottom” through 2026. It highlights potential value in older, drinkable Bordeaux, especially 2009 and earlier, notes that 2021 Bordeaux has been cut to below ex château release levels, and flags higher risk opportunities in scarce, prestige names, while pointing to variables like interest rates, Asia demand, and the ongoing impact of US tariffs on EU wines.