Liv-ex reveals top value brands of 2014

Not all strong brands among fine wines come with crazy prices attached, as the latest Liv-ex ranking reveals.

Liv-ex value brands – 2014

“The ‘power brands’ tend to be expensive like DRC, Pétrus and the First Growths, so this is a chance to look at strong brands that don’t cost the earth,” said Liv-ex director Justin Gibbs on the latest ranking of ‘value brands’. Having stripped out anything with a market average case price of over £2,000, the wines were assessed as follows: Average price (the lower the price, the better the ranking), average score, one year performance and the number of vintages traded.

While this year’s ‘Power 100’ list has been blown open to include every major classic fine wine region, bar Spain, in the top twenty, the value list appears more traditional. While Bordeaux and the Rhône have been the worst-performing regions since the market peaked in 2011, they lead the value stakes. Add in Italy, and the three regions account for 17 out of the top 20.

The Rhône’s Château de Beaucastel tops the chart, followed by the highest mover and cheapest wine – Henri Boillot from Burgundy with an average case price of £265 of its 17 wines traded in the last year. On performance alone, the prize goes to fellow Burgundian Alain Hudelot Noellat.

Asked if there was a new generation of collectors and speculators behind these ‘relatively’ affordable wines, Gibbs said: “I certainly hope so, but that’s really a question for the merchants. The best way for new collectors to come on board is to buy wines they’re going to drink, and as they begin to try them they begin to move up the value scale.” Provided they well-stored, not being in bond does not disqualify them from the secondary market, he insisted. “But the thing about taking them home, is you’re more likely to drink them. That’s the danger.”

Chart-topping Château de Beaucastel