Which fine wines have performed best so far in 2025?
Fine wine prices continued to decline in H1 2025, according to Liv-ex data. However, within an increasingly soft market a small group of wines have bucked the trend, with the best-performing wine rising by more than 36%.
Every major wine region ended the first half of 2025 in negative territory, according to WineCap‘s latest report.
California, Burgundy and Bordeaux have been the weakest performers to date this year (each down 5.6%), according to Liv-ex data quoted in the report. while the Rhône has emerged as the most resilient, down just 2.5%.
However, WineCap has highlighted the outliers which have defied the negative trend, with some wines in the green.
Despite the Rhône 100 index declining 2.5%, Jean Louis Chave’s 2021 Hermitage Rouge rose 36.8%. WineCap chalked this up to the wine’s limited availability and increased recognition as a collectible.
Some French sweet wines also saw improvement. Both Château d’Yquem 2014 and Château Suduiraut 2016 featured in the top 10. “This suggests renewed collector interest in undervalued dessert wines, particularly when linked to exceptional vintages,” the WineCap report read.
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Cult labels from the US also proved resilient. Screaming Eagle 2012 rose 24.4% in the first half of the year, despite the California 50 index falling 5.6%. And high-end Napa still commands global attention in top-tier vintages.
As for French sparkling, while the Champagne 50 index fell 4.9%, Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill 2015 was up 24.4%.
Tough conditions
Fine wine producers have been weathering a downward trend in demand since late 2022, suffering from persistent price softening over the last 18 months in particular.
Trade tensions have been somewhat to blame, as well as subdued demand in key Asian markets. According to WineCap, many buyers, particularly in Hong Kong and Mainland China, have adopted a wait and see approach due to both political and market uncertainty. Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne have suffered the biggest losses as a result of softening demand in Asia.
Ongoing global economic woes have also been partially to blame, leading to reduced appeal of illiquid assets including wine. “With safer yields available in cash or bonds, some collectors have hesitated to commit fresh capital or have chosen to sell,” the WineCap report said.
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And yet social media is full of companies claiming that fine wine is up in a major way over the last 5 years and to invest and entrust our hard earnt cash with them!