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Wine Market History
Fine wine has been consumed, loved and enjoyed for thousands of years. It was actually during the Roman period that wine was introduced to France. Wine was such a widely used drink because of its storage capabilities. It became clear that it refined and developed with age and during the Roman period wines were often left to mature for up to 120 years.
It was the Romans who planted the seeds for what we now know as Bordeaux Claret. They populated the area with vineyards and over the centuries and millennia, Bordeaux fine wines have become renowned as the best in the world.
The wine trade was booming and Bordeaux fine wines were being exported all over the world. In fact ships were measured by the number of tonnes of wine they could carry.
In 1855 Emperor Napoleon III effectively started the Fine Wine Index when he classified Bordeaux wines from 1 to 5. This index was originally created for the 1855 Paris Universal Exhibition to enable visitors to appreciate the value of Bordeaux wines. The Emperor based his decisions on the quality and prices realised for each chateau over the previous 100 years or so.
Even if the Fine Wine Index is still in use, other indices have been created. Robert Parker, the world’s expert in wine, has issued a ranking (from 0 to 100) which is also used as a reference. Boltons Wine Investment also combines in-house indices allowing identifying market trends specifically for investment grade wines.
More than ever fine wine investment remains a strong performer amongst alternative investments.
