Fine Wine Investing Explained: Part 1 - The Three Markets You Need to Know

This show was published Friday, September 11, 2026

Overview

Chris Scott breaks down the fine wine investment market: the three distinct markets, and why provenance and storage make or break a wine's value.

In Part 1 of this 3-part spotlight, Chris draws on over two decades in the wine trade to explain how fine wine investing actually works. He walks through the 1% rule that separates investment grade wines from everything else, and breaks down the three markets that matter: en primeur, the fine wine trading market, and the collector's market, each with its own rules, risks and returns.

Along the way he explains why the UK remains the world's top fine wine trading hub, how bonded warehouses protect a wine's value, and why simply moving a bottle from storage to your own home can quietly destroy its resale price.

The episode also digs into the slow unravelling of the Bordeaux en primeur market, once the classic route into wine investing, and why emerging regions like Spain, Italy and New Zealand are now drawing investor attention instead. Plus the story behind the 1945 Domaine Romanee Conti that sold for 812,500 dollars at auction, and why age alone can make a wine worthless to drink but priceless to own.

Hosted by Chris Scott.

Subscribe

Using XML subscription or through Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you normally listen to podcasts.

Sponsorship

The UK Wine Show is sponsored by ThirtyFifty. Our team of wine tasters are busy entertaining and educating UK consumers to help them get the most out of wine.

Support us on Patreon

If you are a regular listener, do consider supporting the UK Wine Show on Patreon. You can pledge a monthly payment, equivalent to a cup of coffee or very small glass of wine!

Become a Patron!

Music

The music used for the UK Wine Show is Griffes de Jingle 1 by Marcel de la Jartèle and Silence by Etoile Noire.