The Liv-ex April Market Report has been released. Containing all the latest Liv-ex research and analysis, the full issue includes Brexit, Bordeaux and soaring stocks; Liv-ex and En Primeur; Italy and Champagne as major market movers; and more. 

On Brexit, Bordeaux and Soaring Stocks

March was marked by a few important themes: the slightest piece of Brexit news caused erratic movements in sterling, gold prices hit a three-week low, while U.S. and U.K. equities made solid gains. The Liv-ex 100 and Liv-ex 1000 dipped—both indices, denominated in sterling, have fallen each month so far this year, largely led lower by Burgundy and Bordeaux prices. The relentless rise of Burgundy seems to have faltered—its index dip a further 2.3% in March.

Still, the market saw a record number of transactions, and trade increased significantly by both value and volume. Bordeaux held its monthly trade share steady at 58%, while Burgundy improved from 15% to 18%. Champagne was also active, accounting for 9.2% of total value traded.

The most active wine was Mouton Rothschild 2016, which recently received 100-point scores from critics including Lisa Perotti-Brown. Mouton Rothschild also led First Growths’ trade in March (at about 40%). The most active Bordeaux vintages were the critically acclaimed 2009, 2015 and 2016.

All eyes are now on the 2018 as the En Primeur campaign unfolds. Many have already praised the quality of the vintage, though deemed heterogenous. A mixture of geopolitical and region-specific factors will affect, and complicate, its pricing and selling.

Readers should take note that the views of this author represent those of a company with an interest in the wine trade. Liv-ex operates the global marketplace for fine wine. It offers trading, data and settlement services to professional buyers and sellers of fine wine. Private collectors can view Liv-ex prices and value their portfolios using Cellar Watch and find regular market analysis on the blog. The opinions of Liv-ex are their own and do not represent those of Robert Parker Wine Advocate or Wine Journal. Liv-ex contributes articles to Wine Journal that we feel are of market relevance to readers, but we do not specifically endorse this company.

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