Basic question on cellaring wine

Unfortunately, there's no set answer, Sean. The increase in prices that many fine wines (esp. Bordeaux) have experienced over the past 20+ years have far outstripped inflation and currrency exchange rates. However, the price increases differ from wine to wine. In your example, one would really have to know which Bordeaux it is and where it is. Some wine merchants don't change their prices much, even as their wine gets older (and sometimes don't store it very well, either); others track the price increases carefully. Since much of the price increases of older wines are market-driven by the "secondary" (i.e., auction) market, it'll come down to the old question of supply and demand. If you're interested in specific wines from a specific time, you might think about looking for older editions of a book like Robert Parker's Buying Guide that would list prices at release for wines of that era.

Alternatively, if it's just a few wines, post them here and folks like me that have back issues of various wine magazines can probably track down the original sellting price.

Mark Lipton

I agree with everything Mark said, much as it pains me to say it. :)

Your $80 wine could be anything. I regularly see winestores selling crap for big $$$ because it's 10+ years old ( I saw a '96 Lalande de Pomerol from a no name producer for $48 last month). Alternately, it could be a great bargain. If it IS market value, there still is no way to extrapolate what it costs. Some '95s have doubled in valued, others gone up fourfold. Today you'd probably find Leoville Poyferre and Pichon Baron at about that, my vague memory is that they probably were $25-30 on futures in '97 (release would have been '98). A few would have done better, many more would have appreciated less.

If you're trying to extrapolate wine appreciation (in market sense), it's even harder than individual wines. I'd guess very few '97 Bdx are trading for much more than the release prices. Wine is NOT a safe investment (especially in times of very weak dollar).

Plus, all these values are dependent on good (provable) storage. Besides opportunity cost, there are real costs in cellaring wine.

First, do you know if you like properly aged Bordeaux? If you do the answer is easy.

Nice Bordeaux really needs a few years in the cellar. Therefore what you give up by not cellaring is the availability of a wine you might think you would enjoy.

I do find many times I am dissapointed with the result of aging and my conditions for cellaring are perfect.

That said the 1995 Prieure Lichine that I bought to much of was from Parkers

3rd edition I think and he had a high rating from barrel. I won't fall for that one again.

Yes, there is risk involved. That said my case if PL mentioned about was like $18 bottle. The 1995 Pontet Canet was worth it. So was the Chateau Margaux.

I would not pay present value for any of the top classified growth of recent vintages. So my buying from some 1980's and mid 90's really set me up for the future of fine wine. Like buying in the stock market. Timing is critical.

Back to your quesiton...what makes it worth more? From investment others have really answered that. Real question is what would it be worth to you to store, nurture, caretake some bottles for many years.

For me: Priceless.

I have a bunch of 89's and 90's firsts and seconds. I bought them within a year of release at favorable prices. I do not think they have held with inflation. Seconds back then were about $30 if blessed by RP, and firsts were about $100.

'70 was a halfway decent year, and firsts were about $18, while sec>Hi there. I have a basic question on cellaring wine, or rather on its

Thanks, all, for the helpful replies.