Explainer / How to start a wine collection, according to the experts: invest in Bordeaux, burgundy, champagne and other famous names; understand the meaning of ‘collectible’ – and buy bottles you love

If you’re thinking of starting a fine wine collection, there’s no time like the present. Data from Liv-Ex, the London-based fine wine exchange, showed that over 2021, wine investments performed better than traditional stock portfolios, and much better than gold (which fell in value by three per cent).

Indeed, last year was the best year ever for the secondary market for fine wine, growing more than 20 per cent according to Liv-Ex, and with all kinds of A-listers jumping into winemaking, wine collections and investments are likely to keep maturing nicely for the foreseeable future.

But how do you go about starting a wine collection? What factors do you need to consider when investing in fine wine? And what wines offer the best returns?

STYLE spoke to four of the world’s top wine critics, all also collectors, to get their expert takes on starting your own fine wine cellar. Here are some of the key points to bear in mind.

1. Understand what “collectible” means

There’s a saying in the wine world: the smart collector buys wines they love, because then even if the investment goes foul, you can still drink the bottles and enjoy them. But if you can find that ideal overlap between wines you love, and that others love too, then your wine collection will make as lasting an impression on your wallet as on your palate.

Collectible wines are those that increase in monetary value over time and are traded on a secondary market. “Collecting wine requires certain costs – proper storage, cataloguing and insurance – and selling wine incurs others – transportation and commissions – so there is little point in collecting wines that won’t appreciate in value over time,” says Joe Czerwinski, editor-in-chief of Robert Parker Wine Advocate magazine, arguably the world’s most influential consumer wine mag.

And there are various qualities that make a wine desirable for secondary buyers. “You can play a fast game or a slow game when collecting wine,” says Nick Stock, one of Australia’s top wine critics and a regular judge at wine competitions. “Young wines that are extremely rare and are perfectly suited to drinking on release or soon after are fun to collect and drink. Instant gratification.

“Champagne definitely fits this category. The slow game is one of acquiring and cellaring and this means you need wines that are capable of improving over time. If you’re playing the slow game choose your vintages carefully and favour those that are built for cellaring.”