5 Tips For Building Your Wine Portfolio

If you have made the exciting decision to monetise your wine collection by building a complete portfolio, the latest blog here at Octavian will definitely be of interest.

We have covered certain aspects of wine investment in the past and these articles have always been well received, but in today’s feature we look to provide you with 5 great tips for building your fine wine portfolio like a professional.

These tips have been formulated by our fine wine experts here at Octavian, all of which have decades of experience in building wine collections, so you can rest assured this advice comes from years of practice and dedication.

The first thing to remember when building your wine portfolio, is that it is indeed yours. The fact you have decided to embark on this journey with your wine collection means you have a good nose for great wine and you are more likely to find success if you go with your own intuition.

If you start to invest in wines you don’t love, you are leaving things to chance somewhat unless you have some extra support.

Of course, as you continue to learn about new grapes and regions, your knowledge will only improve and you will find it easier and easier to invest in wines you hadn’t previously considered; but until then stick to what you love. Although buying wines to cellar rather than for immediate consumption is a little different, your portfolio should represent your taste.

If you are fairly new to the world of fine wine, then you may well want to bring in some expert advice particularly in the early days. There could be local wineries or merchants you come to trust over the years or perhaps you are building your wine portfolio with a friend or associate; either way you should ensure you are getting good and unbiased advice.

A reputable merchant really is crucial, as this will ensure your fine wine reaches you in mint condition and your “en primeur” wines are always fulfilled.

Although we are bound to say this, it is probably the soundest piece of advice you could get when building a portfolio full of fine and expensive wine. Ensuring that you are storing your wine in perfect conditions could make you a great deal of money and satisfaction, when you see a world class wine really come to fruition.

Our Corsham Cellars are unrivalled when it comes to the perfect storage conditions for wine and are located under the Wiltshire hills, encased in Bath stone. The result is the perfect temperature, light and humidity to ensure that your wine gets finer and finer during the time it is stored with us.

There is also no vibration to speak of and we constantly pump fresh air into our cellars, making them some of the best facilities you will find for fine wine anywhere in the UK.

If you are serious about building a truly great wine portfolio, then storage should be firmly at the top of your agenda.

Although some wine enthusiasts these days believe this is less important, we believe it to be more important than ever, especially if you are in the early days of building your wine portfolio. Always ask our merchant about the history and ownership of your wines. There is no question too small especially if you are investing significant sums of money.

If you use good merchants, this will rarely be an issue, but the best portfolios are built through being meticulous and having a great eye for a wine’s provenance.

Our final tip is to never feel content with your portfolio and keep exploring. There are obviously more wines on the market than ever before, even when it comes to Bordeaux and vintage and if you truly love finding new wines then this shouldn’t be a challenge. The hard bit can sometimes be looking at your merchandise as a commercial unit and not something you can drink away at parties.

However, really exploring the market and looking for the next big thing or a rising star can be very rewarding indeed. Not only is this satisfying due to the kudos you may receive from your peers, but in a best-case scenario, it could make you a great deal of money. It will be trial and error to begin with, but if you put the hours in and have a sufficient nose, building your wine portfolio will be very rewarding indeed.

These are our five top tips for building your portfolio but there will be lots more advice you can get from the aforementioned peers, merchants and associates. Take advice carefully but don’t be afraid to ask those who have been in the industry for longer than you, wine enthusiasts are a pretty lovely bunch.