The biggest issue with selling port wine is that only some rare vintages are actually worth flipping for a profit. Additionally, port takes decades to mature and gain in value, and collectors who don’t have time to wait may not be able to make a profit. This is why it’s important to know when, whether, and how to sell port wine.
Danish author Isak Dinesen famously wrote, “There are many ways to the recognition of truth, and Burgundy is one of them.” The Burgundy region crafts some of the greatest bottles of Pinot Noir in the world, full of rich flavors that often grow more complex and beautiful with age. But over the past decade, Burgundy’s red wines have been overshadowed somewhat by Bordeaux. In the mid-2000s, as Bordeaux’s value skyrocketed (especially in countries like China), Burgundy’s value remained more steady. This caused some serious collectors to question whether Burgundian wine was worth the investment, or if Bordeaux would be a wiser choice.
The wine world is expanding at a rapid pace. Just 50 years ago, most serious collectors only invested in wines from a handful of areas. In general, if the wine didn’t come from Old-World regions like Burgundy, Bordeaux, or Champagne, many collectors didn’t see much value in buying it. But this attitude is changing, and we’re seeing New World wine regions like Chile gain popularity among serious collectors and casual drinkers alike. In fact, Liv-ex lists Chilean wine as one of the top regions to follow in its latest 2017 Power 100 Report. The region’s top wines, especially offerings from Seña and Almaviva, are being sold on the secondary market in greater numbers this year, and these wines are expected to grow in value significantly over the next decade.
Calling the 2017 Loire Valley vintage “difficult” is a serious understatement. Winemakers had to navigate worrisome spring frosts shortly after bud break, which threatened to destroy most of the crop before it even had a chance to grow. However, now that the harvest is over and the wine is aging in vats across the region, Loire winemakers can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Early Loire vintage reports show that both red and white wines are developing beautifully in spite of the difficulties that winemakers faced early in the season, and these may be among the most drinkable (and potentially collectible) Loire wines of the past few years. While it’s still too early to say exactly how these wines will compare to past vintages like the 2016 and 2015, winemakers are very optimistic about the investment potential of the 2017 vintage.
What affects wine quality? The answer to this question isn’t so simple. A number of different factors, from the age of the vine’s rootstock to the vineyard’s climate, can dramatically impact how a wine tastes and how long it will last in your cellar. If the winemaker starts off with underripe, poorly grown grapes, then the resulting wine won’t taste elegant or refined, even if the producer ages the wine in the finest French oak. To invest in the highest-quality wines on the market, it’s a good idea to understand some of the growing techniques that affect wine quality, including climate, vine age, soil composition, pruning, weather, and harvest dates. By considering each of these factors as you shop for collectible wine, you’ll learn how to identify the best wines from the top producers–and be able to pick out unlikely gems from lesser producers as well.
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is so much more than a bold, jammy fruit bomb; in years when the weather is perfect and the harvest conditions are just right, even the boldest of producers can craft wines that are balanced, refined, and elegantly supple in personality. This is precisely what happened during the 2014 growing season. The best 2014 Napa Cabernet has that rare, legendary combination of elegance, youthful charm, and robust tannins that will allow these wines to age spectacularly over the next 25 years or more. In other words, these are wines that will impress you whether you choose to uncork them now or wait until they’ve reached their full potential in 30 years. The 2014 vintage is the perfect balance of soft fruit and a firm backbone, making it one of the greatest Napa vintages of the past two decades, and well worth a space in your cellar.
MENTIONED IN THIS POST: -Chateau Margaux -Chateau Ausone -Chateau d’Yquem -Maison Louis Jadot -Domaine Henri Jayer When I first started collecting wine, I assumed I knew everything about reading a French wine label. As long as I recognized words like “Chateauneuf du Pape,” “Grand Cru,” or “Margaux,” I thought that I could tell whether a…
MENTIONED IN THIS POST: -Sine Qua Non -2005 Ojai Syrah Melville Vineyards -2005 Jonata El Desafio de Jonata This July, a massive wildfire scorched through hectares of riverbeds and grapevines along the edge of North Canyon Vineyard in southern California. Winemakers at the neighboring Bien Nacido Vineyards feared that the fire would make its way…
MENTIONED IN THIS POST: -DRC -Georges de Vogue -Henri Jayer -Louis Jadot -Claude Dugat A young wine collector I know visited France for the first time, and decided to spend a full day shopping for new bottles in Lyon. In one wine shop, she found several 2008 bottles from her favorite Burgundy producer, each selling…
MENTIONED IN THIS POST: -Ausone -Angelus -Cheval Blanc Close to one year after Burgundy’s devastating 2016 frost, Bordeaux went through an equally destructive cold snap that damaged up to 90 percent of the vines on some estates. On April 27, 2017, winemakers in most regions of Bordeaux awakened to temperatures as low as 24.8°F, cold…
MENTIONED IN THIS POST: –Chateau Mission Haut-Brion –Chateau Mouton Rothschild –Chateau Lafite Rothschild By Beth Cash It’s one big party in Bordeaux right now; 2016 en primeur has kicked off and consumers are eagerly awaiting critics’ scores and perhaps not-so-eagerly awaiting en primeur price tags. With the largest harvest in over a decade, and with…
Last summer, I went to a restaurant renowned for its expansive white wine list. I decided to try a flight of German Riesling, and the wines were exactly as I expected–full of life and minerality. When I told the sommelier this, he asked, “Have you ever had Weingut Gesellmann from Austria?” I told him I…