“I am ahead of the curve. I watch out for telltale signs that a trend may be exhausted. Then I disengage from the herd and look for a different investment thesis.”
– George Soros (American investor and philanthropist)
In any market, the highest returns are achieved by those who move early – and move wisely. At CB Wine, this philosophy has underpinned two decades of outperformance in an asset class many are only beginning to understand. Whether you’re newly exploring the investment potential of fine wine or have compounded your capital with us over many years, one fact remains: the market is evolving, and we are positioning our clients to lead.
Founded when the concept of wine as a serious investment was still fringe, CB Wine was early – and correct. Fine wine has become a major part of global wealth management. BRIC economies have started buying heavily, banks like HSBC are advising their clients on purchasing fine wine, and BlackRock is directly investing, all adding solidity to this growing market. Today, we are one of the few firms that combines deep market expertise with bespoke access to producers, proprietary digital tools, and a global network of consumers and collectors. We’ve scaled quietly but decisively, redefined what intelligent wine investment looks like by building the infrastructure to capitalise on movements before they come.
Ahead when it mattered
When CB Wine entered the market, Bordeaux accounted for over 95% of global fine wine trade (1); at that time, we were offering producers like Opus One and Penfolds Grange to our clients, and courting producers like Bibi Gratz, who last year set a world record selling a large format bottle for £87,000, the most expensive bottle of Italian wine ever sold (2). The market has expanded significantly, with the most notable change being the fragmentation of Bordeaux’s market monopoly. Bordeaux now comprises around 30% of Liv-Ex trade sales at any given time (3), and those who adopted early continue to reap the benefits. Our investment approach has continued to evolve, anticipating the rise of Burgundy, Champagne, Tuscany, and Napa Valley, resulting in millions of pounds in profit for those who took advantage of that growth. So where will the money be next?
Currently, the fine wine market is at another turning point. During the pandemic and recovery years, fine wine prices saw record appreciation, with Forbes reporting growth of 43.5% from 2020 to 2022 (4). Following that growth, the economic and geopolitical contexthas led to a contraction, creating a once-in-a-decade buying opportunity for those with a longer-term mindset. Economic research from the University of Bordeaux has been making headlines globally, as experts have made a firm prediction of a market recovery across 2026/27 (5), which will likely mean positive news for the general investor; however, the real key to maximising profits is in the finer details.
Digital-first client engagement
In a 2024 Lanson Research study, 26% of US investors said they plan to invest in alternatives, such as wine, with $1.3 trillion in unrealised potential, and the most significant barrier? Trust and awareness, (6) as is natural when choosing the right place to invest.
With the right approach, the fine wine market will continue to attract new investors, who will opt to work with companies that provide the most transparency and access to the best products. CB Wine has developed a proprietary online platform that offers real-time portfolio insights, performance updates, and direct market commentary. Transparency is central to our business, not just a buzzword. From anywhere in the world, CB Wine clients can sign in to their unique digital portfolio, monitor the performance of their investment with live data from real-time sales, and work with a dedicated broker to devise the best strategy for long-term profit.
A look behind the curtain – where CB Wine will go next
“This revival will not be a simple return to past trends; the sociology of wine consumption has changed, necessitating a forward-thinking approach.”
– Jean-Marie Cardebat, Professor of Economics, University of Bordeaux,
Director of the Wines & Spirits Chair in Paris.
The real opportunity in the coming recovery is with investors who can tap into the premiumisation of the wine market, capitalising on “increasing consumer preference for high-value wines” (7). CB Wine has positioned our business to maximise profits if these predictions unfold. With foresight, we have invested internally in expanding our retail infrastructure, wine tourism across Europe, and actively support the education of the next generation of fine wine investors with events and educational content. According to Jean-Marie’s research, “wine tourism and direct-to-consumer sales will become increasingly vital distribution channels.” To capitalise on these changes, the infrastructure needs to be in place already, as it is with CB Wine. Our most exciting projects have been in CB Uncorked, our retail storefront, our gifting and eventing arm, CB Wrapped, facilitation events across London, and CB Travel, which makes on-the-ground wine tourism easier than ever. Without a progressive and forward-thinking approach, these projects would not be where they are today, ready to maximise our clients’ profits for years to come.
Uncorked – the direct-to-consumer retail
Beyond providing an additional outlet for selling clients’ wines at full retail value, enhancing liquidity and profits, CB Uncorked offers another strategic advantage: real-time consumer analytics. By observing what buyers purchase, when and where they make decisions, and even why, we eliminate guesswork. This enables us to respond to evolving tastes while aggregating trend data that informs our forward-looking retail strategies.
This approach aligns directly with broader industry insights: premiumisation is a dominant global trend, with consumers increasingly gravitating toward high-value wines. CB Uncorked not only maximises profit margins – but also positions us at the forefront of consumer behaviour, letting us pivot quickly as the market shifts toward premium experiences.
CB Wrapped – education through experience
Our in-person events across London make wine education fun and accessible, nurturing our network of end-point consumers, guiding them into CB Uncorked. More importantly, we are working with the next generation of wine drinkers, gaining a deeper understanding of what they do and don’t want, getting ahead of trends, while also shaping their taste. Young drinkers and shifting tastes are not just following the lead of market institutions. Young people are drinking less, but spending more on quality (7) (appealing to the “lifestyle generation”) – Uncorked and Wrapped, making wine education palatable, without the general sense of pretence often associated with fine wine. The trust and awareness being cultivated through this strategy is an investment which has already proven to be mandatory in a world of changing tastes.
CB Conversations – demystifying fine wine through accessible expertise
Through CB Conversations, we translate the insider knowledge of respected voices – such as John Kapan, Lisa Perroti Brown, Jeff Leve, New-World wine makers, and innovative young producers – into engaging, digestible formats. This approach makes fine wine feel approachable, not intimidating.
This is particularly powerful in light of evolving consumer dynamics: younger generations are less bound by tradition and more open to fresh narratives and experiences. CB Conversation bridges the gap between authority and relatability, helping our clients engage with a new generation who value authenticity and storytelling just as much as quality.
Wine Tourism – from vineyard to value
Wine tourism has evolved from a niche interest into one of the most dynamic growth sectors in the global drinks industry, expanding steadily over the past 15 years and projected to exceed $332 billion by 2034 (8). This trend reflects a broader consumer shift toward premium lifestyles – the desire not just to purchase fine wine, but to connect with its story, people, and production.
At CB Wine, we’ve anticipated this shift by investing in dedicated on-the-ground tourism teams who design and host immersive vineyard experiences. From partnerships with esteemed producers like Chapel Down and Gusbourne to bespoke tours across Europe’s leading wine regions, these initiatives create both immediate value for our clients through direct sales and relationship building.
Working directly with winemakers
Access isn’t just about distribution – it’s about relationships. CB Wine’s approach to working with winemakers is collaborative, and we have built strong relationships with some of the world’s most exciting producers: PIUS, Peter Michael, Bibi Graetz and others who are rewriting the rules of quality and exclusivity. These connections give our clients an edge. We suggested Bibi Gratz to our clients over 10 years ago, just 10 years after their first vintage. Following their recent world record, they are now a major attraction for many wine investors, rightfully so, as they are still in the early stages of their journey. Wine makers like Anthony Versochi of PIUS Wines, his ten-year tenure at Daou Estate culminated in his role as Senior Winemaker during a period when Daou achieved the fastest growth of any winery in the US wine market. When Anthony decided to launch his own label, Daou backed him, allowing him to craft his first vintages at their winery. Now operating from his vineyard, he is planting new vines, rebuilding the winery and tasting rooms, building PIUS into one of the finest destination vineyards in Paso Robles, and giving their wine immense investment potential.
Climate, scarcity, and the next frontier
Climate change is redrawing the viticultural map. Champagne houses are buying land in the English countryside. Essex vineyards are up 20% in value (9). We’ve built early partnerships with producers like Chapel Down and Gusbourne – not just a gamble, but as a hedge against environmental volatility and a play on long-term scarcity, focusing on the best of British wine making. For now, we are not offering these wines as investments unless specifically requested.
We are also aligning with biodynamic and climate-conscious producers such as Ridge, Domaine De La Romanée-Conti, and Cristal, who are not only future-proofing their practices but also producing wines of exceptional quality – wines that will define the next generation of consumers and collectors.
The untapped potential in regions like Piedmont is immense. Looking forward, there are significant trends that outline the next major movements in this market, which, if approached with the right strategy, will yield profits for those able to participate. As early adopters in key regions such as Napa Valley and Tuscany, traditional merchants remained enamoured with Bordeaux. In 2010, Italian wines accounted for 5% of the individual wines traded on Liv-ex, while Napa Valley represented 0.1% of the wines traded at that time. That number has increased significantly, reaching 7.9% over the past decade, making it the fourth most-traded fine wine region, after Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne. Our direct work with wine makers has been key to capturing these trends and finding opportunities for clients.
Institutions are also carving out their stake in the market, most notably BlackRock, which has heavily invested in fine wine, directly investing in Penfolds’ Australian wine production and English Sparkling through Chapel Down (10). These developments have created opportunities for investors like never before seen in the fine wine market, or perhaps never will be again, demonstrating a global shift in one of the most prestigious luxury markets in the world, presenting what will likely be a once-in-a-generation moment to profit.
What now?
Staying ahead of the curve is not a marketing line. It’s the product of independent thinking, objective analysis, and the confidence to go left when the market turns right. At CB Wine, we’ve built a business on doing precisely that. Honouring our clients by doing the hard work, giving them the best access to digital resources, and future-making wines that will keep them ahead of the curve and in profit for years to come.
Fortune favours the bold, but greater success is found by those who have the vision and a path. Fine wine continues to deliver in a changing world, for those already invested that means success will depend on working with a company that can give them the correct guidance, and for those waiting for the opportune moment to invest, it is now.
- The Drinks Business, ‘The dangers of expansion: will La Place de Bordeaux become too crowded?’, August 2022
- Decanter, ‘Record claimed as 27-litre Bibi Graetz wine sells for £87,000’, July 2024
- Decanter, ‘Bordeaux’s secondary market share plummets to all-time low’, April 2022
- Forbes, ‘Investing In Fine Wine: Stability, Sustainability And Profitability’, November 2023
- The Drinks Business, ‘2026 could be a ‘turning point’ for wine, study suggests’, March 2025
- Lansons, ‘Alternative asset platforms: survey of retail investment US’, May 2025
- Wine-Intelligence, ‘Resilience and Evolution: Navigating the Future of Global Wine Consumption’, March 2025
- Vinture, ‘Wine tourism to hit $332 billion by 2034’, January 2025
- Knight Frank, ‘The Wealth Report’, 2024
- The Drinks Business, ‘US investment company BlackRock backs English winery Chapel Down’, January 2018
