An investor checks online to identify the best performing wine investments
Buy low, sell high—that’s the dream of any investor. In the world of wine, the value of a carefully chosen vintage can increase exponentially as the wine matures. Savvy wine investors also know to monitor critical market trends—especially performance metrics—to make the most of a good investment.
Let’s take a look at the current best-performing wine investments to determine which wine regions to add to your watchlist. Then we can examine a few considerations to keep in mind when buying and selling investment-grade wines.
Top-Performing Wine Regions
Perhaps unsurprisingly, France and Italy topped the charts last year, with the U.S. trailing a little further behind.
- French investment wines that performed the best came from Bordeaux, Champagne, and the Rhône.
- Italian investment wines that performed the best included Tuscan wines like Tignanello.
- Investment wines from the U.S. that performed the best primarily came from California, specifically Oakville and Napa Valley.
Historically, seasoned wine investors have often turned to Bordeaux wines, but it’s clear from recent trends that they are no longer the only wines worth considering. Several wines from Champagne, in particular, have performed exceptionally, as have a variety of Italian blends. And, of course, even wines from other parts of the world may still perform well in the long run—though likely not quite as well as the top vintages from these regions.
The Best-Performing Wine Investments on the Market
Below is an overview of the top-performing wines currently on the market, as reported by Liv-Ex.
Each vintage is listed alongside abbreviated tasting notes (for those investors who may want to keep a bottle for themselves), price growth, and estimated peak maturity. The last column, in particular, can help you determine if it’s a good time to invest. If you’re already invested, this column can help determine if it’s time to sell or if you should allow the wine to appreciate further.
| Wine | Notes | Growth* | Peak Maturity |
| 2010 Chateau L’Eglise Clinet | Floral notes, wild sage, plums, blueberry compote, and black cherry with a touch of mint. Full-bodied and fruit-forward, with ripe tannins. | 37% | 2019-2051 |
| 2013 Sassicaia | Dark fruit core mixed with savory spices, tobacco, licorice, and a hint of violet. Powerfully complex, with impressive depth and precision. | 30.7% | 2020-2037 |
| 2008 Bollinger, La Grande Année | Elegant and refreshing, with notes of lemon, honeycomb, biscuits, walnuts, and dried flowers. | 27.4% | 2022-2043 |
| 2009 Château La Conseillante | Notes of black forest cake, blueberry compote, licorice, sweet spices, with just a touch of violet and mint. Medium to full-bodied and firm, with a long mineral finish. | 24.4% | 2018-2045 |
| 2013 Solaia | Fruit and spice mixed with herbs and black pepper. Intense, aromatic, and perfectly structured. | 24.1% | 2018-2037 |
| 2008 Vega Sicilia Alión Ribera del Duero | Polished and subtly acidic, with fine tannins and smoky notes of tobacco, cherry, pomegranate, and spice. | 22.8% | 2019-2036 |
| 2013 Tignanello | Blackberry, wild cherry, star anise, and clove dusted with Asian spices and dark earth. Full-bodied with soft, velvety tannins and pleasant acidity. | 21.8% | 2019-2031 |
| 2016 Vieux Télégraphe, Châteauneuf-Du-Pape La Crau Red | Red berries, wild herbs, sweet spices, floral tones, and a chalky minerality. Supple and dense, with impressive complexity and depth. | 20.9% | 2022-2035 |
| 2006 Dom Perignon | Chardonnay and Pinot Noir marry to create a purely seductive and aromatic combination of pineapples, tangerines, and peaches mixed with candied fruit and licorice. | 20% | 2018-2033 |
| 2016 Tignanello | Darkly aromatic and succulent, with notes of spice, earth, coffee, and herbs alongside a ripe fruit core. | 19.2% | 2022-2040 |
* from 2019 to 2020
While these are currently the top-performing investment wines, they are not the only wines worth investing in this year—nor are they all guaranteed to continue to appreciate at the same rate as they have so far. If, for instance, there is a particular wine style, region, or producer you’re interested in collecting or selling, it can be valuable to do your own research to determine if the investment will yield a satisfying ROI.
Buying Investment-Grade Wines
When choosing wines to add to your investment portfolio, there is much more to consider than just how well a wine is performing on the market. Personal taste is an important factor, as are your budget and the level of risk you are willing to accept. Investing in futures, for example, can yield a significant profit, but it will require you to make your choice before the wine’s quality and perceived value are known.
You’ll also want to consider cellar time. Are you more interested in buying a wine young, when it may be less expensive, and storing it while it appreciates over years—even decades? Or would it be in your better interests to spend more on a wine that is closer to peak maturity and appreciating rapidly?
| If you are new to investing, you may want to read up on the basics of wine investing before making any significant investments. On the other hand, if you have some experience, it may be worth your while to read a more advanced guide to investing that can help you maximize your ROI. |
Selling Investment-Grade Wines
When it’s time to sell your wine, keeping an eye on the best-performing wine investments on the market is critical—but there are other important considerations, like timing. While it is often better to wait to sell until a wine is near peak maturity (and, therefore, value), wine value fluctuates. If a younger wine is currently trending, it might be time to sell—especially if the wine is not likely to maintain its “star factor” over the long run.
Watching how a wine appreciates can give you a much clearer idea of when to sell than evaluating its performance based on a single point in time. Likewise, by examining how well other wines from the same producer have performed in the past, you can enrich the context for your decision.
When you are ready to sell, consider working with a trusted retailer who can help you sell your wines through a safe, secure online marketplace. Look for a retailer with a good reputation and a dedication to quality—one that will not only facilitate the pricing and selling process but also conduct their own thorough inspections. This will ensure the best possible experience all around.
Whether you are starting your high-end wine collection or adding to an established portfolio, Vinfolio is your partner in buying, selling, and professional storage. Contact us today to get access to the world’s finest wine.
