Château Haut-Brion 2011 issued in Shanghai on Christmas Day

On December 25th 2012 when most Westerners were busy celebrating Christmas, Shanghai International Wine Exchange (SIWE), a public trading platform chartered by Shanghai government, issued allocations of Bordeaux first growth Château Haut-Brion 2011.

Four hundred 12-bottle cases of overall production (7,600 cases in 2011) were allocated to SIWE by Haut-Brion. After private pre-allocation and issuer’s reservation, 188 cases (i.e. 2,256 bottles) were left for public issuance.

Compared with the investment products of SIWE in the past, Haut-Brion 2011 has broken quite a few records.

Firstly, its prestigious classification exempted it from routine regulation and evaluation by SIWE issue committee; instead, it skipped most of the procedures and went straight on issuance. No other investment products at SIWE ever enjoyed the privilege before.

Secondly, Haut-Brion has extended direct authorisation to wine merchants for the first time. In fact, it could be regarded as the first time for Bordeaux.

Lastly, clients are entitled to both private pre-allocation and premium buyback according to SIWE’s new rules. In the case of Haut-Brion 2011, premium buyback is waived for the issuer given the confidence of the potential investment clients.

SIWE had issued six collectable Chinese spirits by the end of 2012 and has been gradually diversifying its business by switching the focus from Chinese local spirit to international wine. Kopke Colheita 1967 Port was the first wine issued, followed by Haut Brion 2011.