Affordable Burgundy leads the charge for fine wine

By Jo Gilbert

Published: 30 September, 2022

Burgundy emerged as the dominant force in fine wine investment for September, Winecap has revealed in the latest analysis of its fine wine index, Wine Track, as the region grows its reputation as the leading investment area for price performance on the secondary market.

France continues to lead the charge on platforms such as Liv-ex, as we saw yesterday in Harpers’ analysis of Champagne.

According to analysis by Winecap however, it is Burgundy which sits heads and shoulders above the rest in terms of interest from investors.

Six of the ten strongest performing wines on Wine Track in September originated from the Burgundy region, which has set the pace for the fine wine market in 2022. In the year to date, the region has generated an aggregate return of 25.3%, putting it comfortably ahead of all major financial benchmarks.

It is Burgundy’s reputation for affordability however, which has put it ahead of competitors such as Bordeaux.

“Burgundy is well known for producing some of the world’s most expensive wines, but right now, we are seeing the biggest gains from the value-driven segment of the market,” Alexander Westgarth, CEO of WineCap, said. “These wines are naturally more attractive to retail investors looking to build a diversified portfolio.”

Most of Wine Track’s fastest movers in September were affordable Burgundian wines from highly regarded producers including Dujac, Jacques Frederic Mugnier and Domaine Ponsot (see table below).

According to the index, much of Burgundy’s growth in volume comes from white wines, which now make up 60% of the region’s production, and on average are considerably more affordable than the reds.

Wine Track’s top ten for September include three Burgundian white producers from Puligny Montrachet Referts (+27%), Chassagne Montrachet Blanchot Dessus (+18%), and Nuits Saint Georges Clos Marechale Blanc (+13%).

Italy also saw significant movement. While the country’s performance is usually linked to its Tuscan stars, Piedmont was a standout in September. Wines from this region placed third and sixth in Wine Track’s top ten. Produttori Barbaresco’s Barbaresco Pora Riserva saw a 20% month-on-month gain, and Giuseppe Rinaldi’s Barolo Cannubi S.Lorenzo Ravera rose 16%.

WineCap launched Wine Track earlier this year as a fine wine index and scoring system aimed at retail investors looking to build a wine portfolio.

Wine Track’s top ten ROI wines in September

Wine	Producer	Country	Region	Current average price	Month on month gain
Puligny Montrachet Referts	Jean-Philippe Fichet	France	Burgundy	£919	27%
Charmes Chambertin Cuvee Merles	Domaine Ponsot	France	Burgundy	£3,663	22%
Barbaresco Pora Riserva	Produttori Barbaresco	Italy	Piedmont	£766	20%
Chassagne Montrachet Blanchot Dessus	Bruno Colin	France	Burgundy	£1,114	18%
Cornas	Guillaume Gilles	France	Rhone	£790	18%
Barolo Cannubi S.Lorenzo Ravera	Giuseppe Rinaldi	Italy	Piedmont	£5,146	16%
Clarendon Hills, Liandra Syrah, South Australia	Clarendon Hills	S. Australia	McLaren Vale	£664	15%
Marsannay Longeroies Rouge	Denis Mortet	France	Burgundy	£582	15%
Gevrey Chambertin	Dujac Fils et Pere	France	Burgundy	£874	14%
Nuits Saint Georges Clos Marechale Blanc	Jacques Frederic Mugnier	France	Burgundy	£1,725	13%