‘A good month for fine wine’, says Liv-ex

2015 has got off to a promising start on Liv-ex, and not just because of a First Growth bounce.

As reported last week ‘January was Bordeaux’s month’ with the Liv-ex 100 seeing its biggest monthly rise in two years. The index tracks the First Growths, which appear to be pulling away from the rest of the region’s wines. “The Bordeaux 500 – a broader set that runs into the Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Growths, was actually flat despite this being a very Bordeaux-led recovery,” said Liv-ex director, Justin Gibbs. He suspects interest in the 2010/11 vintages is “probably pulling back a bit.”

However beside the Bordeaux superstars other regions are also contributing apart from the Rhône which slipped slightly last month. “It may well be that the market recovers through its enthusiasm for the best of the best,” said Gibbs who pointed out: “The Italy 100, Burgundy 150 and Champagne 50 are all the best of their regions.”

Though describing it as “a good month for fine wine,” he added a note of caution. “Is there blind optimism – no, I don’t think there is. There is still concern about the delivery and price of Bordeaux ’14. It’ll be very interesting to see what happens in the next couple of months.”