Vintage cellar beyond compare
How to improve the standard of your wine collection
OVER a glass of one of his favourite wines, a Grattamacco 2000 (£110 a bottle) Craig Baker explained how he has built up his collection.
By buying wine “en primeur” – before the vintage is declared – he can purchase a larger stock and then stores it for two to three years. The trick is to ensure you buy when the weather has been good, such as 2006 in Italy – a year he invested heavily in, and which is rated one of the best vintages on record.
In this way, such as with the purchase of 2005 Mouton Rothschild for £3,000 that year, which is now worth £20,000, he can sell surplus wine and retain enough for his cellar collection.
Another good investment was a Chateau Margaux which cost £450 in 1982, and is now worth £15,000 – although it is not expected to reach its prime until it’s 50 years old – in 2032.
Mr Baker said: “With our wine list, probably about 15% is accrued in this way – but it’s the most valuable 15%.”
