Touch of ‘March madness’ for fine wine

The Liv-ex Fine Wine 100 recorded its biggest rise this March since February 2013, up just under 3%.

The March Hare – mad

The index rose by 2.7% in March, the fourth consecutive monthly rise and the biggest monthly uptick in over three years.

The index rose 3% in February 2013. Although the weakness of sterling has helped galvanise trade since November 2015, the pound was largely stable in March and still prices rose.

Liv-ex director, Justin Gibbs, commented: ‘With just days until the release of Bordeaux 2015 – considered to be a good to very good vintage – the market is braced for price rises.

“Having seen prices fall for five consecutive years, buyers would therefore seem to be making the most of physical stocks available.”

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s 2009 La Tâche led the pack of labels heading upwards in March, rising 13.9% to £21,966 a case.

The rest of the best-performers however were clarets. Lafite’s 1996 rose 10%, Latour 2010 7.9%, Mouton Rothschild 2006 went up 7.7% and the 2009 Pontet Canet 7.1%.

Most of the month’s ‘fallers’ were also Bordeaux though. Haut-Brion 1998 slipping 1.6%, the 2000 Léoville Las Cases 2%, Super Tuscan Solaia’s 2010 down 3%, Cos d’Estournel 2003 3.4% and the previously high-flying 2000 Mouton was knocked back 4.4% to £12,750.