Collecting rare wines is more than just a hobby. A rare wine collection is a symbol of sophistication and luxury. Every rare wine you collect represents centuries of winemaking history, and these bottles often have rich stories to tell. More than this, a rare wine collection can also be incredibly valuable; collectors are willing to spend thousands of dollars to own the rarest vintages from the world’s top producers.
However, with so many wines on the market, starting a rare wine collection may feel daunting, especially for first-time buyers. Where can you find the most unique and storied wines? In this guide, you’ll learn how to start a collection of your own–one that would excite any wine connoisseur.
| A Guide To Getting Started |
Why Start a Rare Wine Collection?
Collectors have different motivations for buying the rarest wines in the world: a passion for wine and its history, wanting to impress their friends, or even to turn a profit. Regardless of your motivations for starting a rare wine collection, you’ll see a number of benefits, including:
- Prestige: What makes rare wines worthwhile is their exclusivity. About 90 percent of the wine produced globally is not meant to be aged or collected, and even among the 10 percent of age-worthy wines, there are only a small handful of labels that are considered truly rare. Each wine vintage also grows rarer over time as bottles are consumed, damaged, or lost. So, when you own one of these treasured bottles, you’re not only preserving the history of an ever-dwindling vintage, but you’re also one of only a limited number of people who have this honor.
- Network: Collecting rare wines often puts you in touch with fellow enthusiasts who are equally passionate about wine. Whether you’re showing off your collection, gifting a bottle, or chatting about rare vintages at a wine bar, your collection could foster strong connections with like-minded people.
- Knowledge: A wine collection offers a hands-on crash course in fine wine education. You have to know which vintages are the rarest and highest in quality as well as which wines are going to stand the test of time. You’ll learn this from experience and with the guidance of industry experts. As you collect rare wine, you’ll naturally start to learn more about its history, flavor profile, and what sets it apart from other wines. This is knowledge you can use to buy even higher quality wines in the future.
- Profit: One of the greatest attractions of a fine wine collection is that you can resell any of your wine at any time. Rare, age-worthy wines tend to increase in value and historically perform well over the course of 15 to 20 years (sometimes more). When you start a rare wine collection, you open the door to the world of wine investments, which could result in promising long-term returns.
Even if only one of these benefits interests you, it’s worth starting a rare wine collection of your own. But first, you’ll need to know exactly what sets a rare wine apart from a common vintage or label.
How To Tell if a Wine Is Rare
In general, a collectible, rare wine is one that is:
- High in quality or produced using a labor-intensive or time-consuming technique
- Produced in a region known for its exceptional wines (e.g., Bordeaux or Napa Valley)
- Made in low quantities each year
- An older vintage, often more than 20 years old
- Historically significant (e.g., the first vintage ever produced for that label)
However, rarity is relative. For example, 15,000 cases is considered a somewhat rare vintage for a well-established Champagne house. But, a California cult wine producer often makes much less wine than this, and in order to be considered rare, collectors might expect a producer to release fewer than 5,000 cases per year.
So, to start a rare wine collection, you need to know what constitutes a rare wine for some of the most sought-after varieties in the world.
First-Growth Bordeaux
| What Makes It Rare | Number of Cases Produced Annually |
| While there are many fine and rare wines in Bordeaux, only five estates are classified as first-growth (the top classification in the region): Château Haut-Brion, Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Latour, and Château Margaux. This elite status makes these wines rare and in high demand. | 10,000-25,000 |
Grand Cru Burgundy
| What Makes It Rare | Number of Cases Produced Annually |
| Like Bordeaux, Burgundy has a strict classification system, and Grand Cru wines sit at the very top. Only 33 vineyards are considered Grand Cru, and many of these vineyards are exceptionally small, producing tiny yields of ultra-high-quality grapes. | 250-15,000 |
California Cult Wines
| What Makes It Rare | Number of Cases Produced Annually |
| Cult wine producers intentionally focus on growing a limited number of grapes each year. Many wineries aggressively cull their fruit so only the ripest and most perfect grapes are used in the final blend. | 500-5,000 |
Super Tuscans
| What Makes It Rare | Number of Cases Produced Annually |
| Super Tuscans are a unique blend of traditional Italian grapes with French varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon. Italian producers only make a small quantity of these wines each year so they can focus on releasing the highest quality blends possible. | 2,000-5,000 |
Vintage Champagne
| What Makes it Rare | Number of Cases Produced Annually |
| Champagne involves a meticulous process where grapes are often hand-picked, undergo a second fermentation, and are aged for many years (as long as a decade) before release. The labor-intensive nature of Champagne means only a limited number of top-quality vintage bottles are available. | 15,000-35,000 |
Now that you know what generally makes a wine rare, you can start looking at specific wines to add to your collection.
The Best Way To Start a Rare Wine Collection
It’s wise to go into this process with a clear plan. While you could search for rare wines on various auction websites and buy a few bottles here or there, this might not get you the results you want long term. If you want to start a rare wine collection that’s cohesive, fits within your budget, matches your tastes, and is authentic, then there are a few simple steps you should take before you buy your first bottle.
Step 1: Know where to find high-quality wines in excellent condition
Step 2: Make a list of the most sought-after wines on the market today
Step 3: Have a place to store your wine safely before you buy
Where To Buy Rare Wine
There are three factors you should be aware of when you shop for rare wines:
- Whether the wine itself is high in quality, meaning rated highly by professional critics and considered by most collectors to be worth buying.
- The condition of the wine, including whether the bottle, label, and cork are intact and the sillage (fill level) is at an appropriate level for the wine’s age.
- The provenance of the wine. You should know who owned the bottle before you and also have documented proof of ownership.
Buying wines with these qualities ensures that your collection will be authentic and that your wine has the best chance to age gracefully over the decades without spoiling. This is why it’s important to buy rare wine from a retailer that prioritizes these three factors.
A trustworthy wine retailer will have detailed descriptions of the wine on the website, including professional reviews from critics. The best retailers also thoroughly inspect every wine that they sell and only accept bottles that meet strict quality and authenticity standards. Finally, the retailer should be able to provide you with full documentation of ownership.
That either means documenting who owned the bottle previously or offering you proof that the wine came directly from the winery. This is also why it’s a good idea to work with retailers that have strong relationships with the most renowned rare wine producers as they can get allocations of the rarest vintages as soon as they’re released.
The Best Rare Wines To Buy Right Now
If you’re looking for specific bottles to add to your collection, here are a few essential picks that are rare, high in quality, age-worthy, and valuable:
| Wine Variety/Style | The Best Rare Wines to Buy |
| First-Growth Bordeaux | |
| Grand Cru Burgundy | |
| California Cult Wines | |
| Super Tuscans | |
| Vintage Champagne |
These are just a handful of the rare wines modern collectors are most excited about, and there are many more vintages worth considering. However, if you’re just getting started, these wines will provide you with a strong foundation you can build on later.
How To Store Your Rare Wine
Before you purchase your first bottles, you should already have a space to store the wine safely. Most rare wines are meant to be aged for many decades, and they need to be stored under ideal conditions throughout the wine’s lifetime. Not only is this important for preserving the quality of the wine inside, but it’s also essential if you want to resell your wine, as buyers want to know that they’re investing in a safely-stored wine.
The best way to store your rare wine collection is to send your bottles to a professional storage facility. This ensures your wine will mature beautifully under the perfect lighting, temperature, and humidity controls. It also helps you resist the temptation of opening your wine too early, before it’s had the chance to mature. And, if you ever decide to sell your wine, professional storage helps prove the wine’s provenance.
Alternatively, you could use a home cellar to store your wine, however, you should be aware of the risks associated with this option beforehand.
Next Steps
Working with the right retailer is the best way to build a rare wine collection from the ground up. Specifically, you should work with a retailer that offers a full range of services, including an extensive collection of rare wines for sale, professional storage facilities, shipping services, and options to resell your collection in the future. Having everything under one roof makes the process of starting and maintaining a rare wine collection simple, even for beginners. With the help of rare wine experts who will guide you through every step, you can build the collection of your dreams.
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.
