It’s an interesting time for the fine wine market. From Champagne market gains to the growing demand for elegant red Burgundy, there are several trends that have had, and will continue to have, a major impact on wine collectors this year. Staying up to date with the latest wine industry trends of 2022 is a great way to discover some fascinating and luxurious new wines for your collection. It’s also useful if you plan on selling some of your wine in the near future.

In this guide to the top five wine industry trends of 2022, you’ll learn which wines are worth investing in right now and how the industry is shifting. It’s an exciting moment to be a fine wine collector, especially when you know how to make the most of your collection this year.

The Most Important Wine Industry Trends of 2022

While the wine industry is famously stable and slow to change, annual trends still affect wine collectors. This is why it’s important to keep your finger on the pulse of the modern wine market. Being aware of the trends can introduce you to wines and regions that critics are most excited about. As an added benefit, if you happen to have wine in your collection that you have no plans to drink yourself, or you’re unsure what to do with it, knowing the trends is a great way to find an ideal time to sell. For example, Louis Roederer Cristal is having a moment in 2022 following the recent release of the 2014 vintage, so if you have any older vintages of Cristal in your collection, now might be a wise time to resell your bottles while they’re in high demand.

So, what are the most important wine industry trends of 2022 for collectors to know? Here are five essential trends you should be aware of this year:

  1. Fine wine is becoming a popular alternative investment, outperforming many other assets.
  2. The market is abuzz over 2021 Bordeaux en primeur releases.
  3. The value of fine Champagne is on the rise.
  4. Collectors are falling back in love with elegant red Burgundy.
  5. There’s growing interest in wines from the Rhône, especially past vintages with perfect scores.

Below, you’ll find a more detailed explanation of why these trends matter and what you can do to take advantage of them while they last.

How To Take Advantage of the Latest Wine Trends

Knowing the top wine industry trends of 2022 is only helpful if they have an impact on your own collection. All of the five trends above have the potential to affect your wine investments this year, so it’s important to know exactly how to leverage them to your advantage. Here are a few tips you could use in 2022 to improve your collection, based on where the market is headed:

Expand and Diversify Your Fine Wine Portfolio This Year

The value of fine wine has increased steadily in 2022, and it’s even outperformed gold this year in terms of overall value. According to the Liv-ex 100 report, which tracks the value of the top 100 traded wines over time, the value of fine wine has increased by 22.2 percent over the past year, compared to a loss of 2.9 percent in the value of gold.

What this means for investors and collectors is that wine is proving to be a relatively stable asset, even in the face of rising inflation. For this reason, now might be the best time to consider starting a wine collection, if you don’t already have one. In particular, top-tier Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne are proving to be the most stable and best-performing wines of 2022, and this is expected to continue into the future. This is part of the reason why fine wine is often more stable than the S&P 500 or gold—these wines are meant to be aged for 15 or 20 years (sometimes more), and have a reputation that will continue to attract connoisseurs decades from now.

Your first step is to look at the wines with the best recent market performances. The Liv-ex 100 list is a great place to start. For example, some of the best-performing wines come from estates such as:

However, many other fine wines are worth your consideration this year, and we’ll discuss a few of them below.

Invest in the Top-Scoring Bordeaux Releases

Fine Bordeaux usually dominates the market, and this year is no exception. However, now that the 2021 Bordeaux en primeur futures are being announced, there are a few specific wines that are starting to trend.

First, there are the en primeur wines themselves. While 2021 Bordeaux was a challenging vintage for winemakers, some labels received very high scores from professional critics. Reviewers were most drawn to the First Growths of the Left Bank, the red wines of the Right Bank (specifically those with more Cabernet Franc in the blend than usual), and white wines from Château Haut-Brion, Château La Mission Haut-Brion, Château Smith Haut Lafitte, and Château Lafleur. Overall, the 2021 vintage will appeal to collectors who enjoy aromatic and delicate wines. And, with futures prices that are slightly lower on average compared to other recent vintages, these are wines of excellent value.

The 2021 en primeur season has also renewed interest in a few past Bordeaux vintages. This is often the case when the latest futures are announced since many collectors and investors like to sell some of the wines in their collections to make room for the latest vintages. Two vintages that are trending right now are 2019 and 2014. These vintages are trending because they are high in quality and were initially sold at a relatively low price when they were released as futures. So, if you have some of these wines in your collection, now may be the best time to sell. This is also a good time to invest in these vintages, as they still have great aging potential ahead of them.

Look Into the Latest Champagne Vintages

Champagne has been trending for the past few years among consumers looking to indulge in luxury goods, and this trend continues in 2022. In fact, Champagne is one of the hottest commodities on the fine wine market. In the first quarter of 2022, Champagne rose in market value by 9.6 percent. This is due to the release of a few much-anticipated vintages within the last two years, including the 2014, 2012, and 2008 vintages.

The latest Champagne vintages are likely to sell out quickly due to vintage rarity and the increased demand for Champagne in 2022, so it’s important to secure your allocations as early as possible. Now is a good time to buy Champagne as a pre-arrival. It’s also wise to keep an eye out for new Champagne releases from top houses, as more are expected to be announced within the next year.

Demand for these wines has also renewed demand for older Champagne vintages. For collectors looking to resell some of their wine, this year could be the optimal time to get your Champagne appraised and on the market. For collectors looking to buy more Champagne, this trend is helpful, as you’ll find some fantastic bottles this year, including these most recent vintages as well as older gems that are cropping up on the online marketplace.

Consider Burgundy Futures

Post-pandemic, people are spending more on luxury items, and this includes distinguished styles of red wine. Like Champagne, complex red wines denote opulence and celebration — something that many people are craving after spending years isolated inside.

Vintage red Burgundy is an especially notable wine industry trend of 2022. In the first quarter of 2022, Burgundy rose in trade value by 14.6 percent, and this trend is expected to continue into the near future. In April of 2022, Burgundy had the largest share of the fine wine market by value, even higher than that of Bordeaux.

Knowing this, it’s important to stay up to date on the latest Burgundy futures and pre-arrivals. The 2021 vintage saw some of the smallest yields in recent history for Burgundy, and this coupled with increased demand for these wines in 2022 could make it more difficult to secure allocations. Buying futures is a great way to not only ensure you get the wine you’re most interested in, but it’s usually more cost-effective as well. If Burgundy continues to increase in trade value this year, like it did in 2017, then futures may be your best option.

Start a Collection of Perfect Rhône Vintages

An unexpected wine industry trend of 2022 is the popularity of past vintages from the Rhône region of France. One of the reasons why these wines are trending may be because collectors and investors are discovering lesser-known gems that earned praise from the industry’s most respected critics. Wines from the Rhône saw an increase in value of 2.3 percent in 2022, and this trend may continue into the next year.

The most popular vintages of the moment include 2020, 2016, 2012, 2011, and 2009. The producer with the greatest recent market success has been E. Guigal, and specifically, its La Landonne label. The 2009 vintage received a perfect score from Jeb Dunnuck and Robert Parker, and according to Liv-ex, it has increased in value by 17.1 percent this year.

Knowing this, now may be an excellent opportunity to look into older vintages from the Rhône and invest in wines with high average scores. This is also likely a great time to look through your existing collection for older Rhône bottles to resell, as there’s clearly a demand for these wines among modern collectors and investors.

Staying on top of these five trends is a great start, but you may be wondering which specific wines are making the biggest splash on the market in 2022. If you’re ready to strike while the iron is hot, here are a few wines that are growing in popularity and have timeless appeal.

The Top Trending Wines To Invest in This Year

While it’s important to know the overarching wine industry trends of 2022, the fine wine industry is built on a long-term reputation. Certain styles of wine may come in and out of vogue in some circles, but there will always be a handful of reputable wine producers and labels that transcend trends. So, the ultimate goal isn’t just to invest in wines that are momentarily popular. Instead, you should consider wines that are trending in 2022 but will continue to hold prestige many decades from now. The following wines have exactly these qualities: they appeal to modern collectors and will likely continue to do so well into the future.

Trending Bordeaux

Trending Champagne 

Trending Burgundy

Trending Wines From the Rhône

This year could be a boon for wine collectors, especially those who enjoy wines with a strong sense of place that are meticulously crafted by passionate artisans. The most popular wines of 2022 are high in quality and tell a unique story, whether through the terroir or the extensive history of the winemaker. If you’re interested in luxurious wines that go beyond the typical, the top wine industry trends of 2022 are a promising sign of an exciting year to come.

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