According to recent Government statistics, individuals are finding it increasingly difficult to save for their future. With endowments becoming harder to sell, pension laws changing and tax relief on ISA’s being abolished, people want alternative ways to invest their hard-earned cash.

In light of the growing level of scepticism pertaining to other forms of traditional investment, Independent Financial Advisers (“IFAs”) have been seeking new opportunities to extend or restructure their clients’ investment portfolios to include a well-balanced mixture of traditional, alternative and leisure investments. One alternative investment that is increasingly becoming favourable amongst wine experts, those interested in wine or those just looking for a stable and innovative investment, is Fine Wine.

Premier Cru Fine Wine Investments Ltd, (“Premier Cru”) Europe ’s leading Fine Wine investment house, to meet with market demand, has launched its own IFA Consultancy division. Premier Cru seeks to exploit the Fine Wine investment market as an opportunity for high growth investment returns and is dedicated to helping IFAs achieve solid returns for their clients.

As with many mainstream investments, such as unit trusts, one should gain advice before investing. Fine Wine is no exception. To date, most companies that offer wine investments are, in fact, the wine merchants themselves. Although there are many trusted merchants in the Market, it is widely understood that the best returns and portfolio management are provided by wine investment houses that do not hold actual stock, offer a broad range of investment plans and offer a hands-on portfolio management service.  It is these investment houses that are able to provide investors with truly independent advice and the flexibility of choice.

Premier Cru’s IFA Consultancy division offers IFAs full training as well as the ability to service accounts - with a dedicated sales manager per account. The training also allows IFAs to qualify for valuable CPD (Continuing Professional Development) points. Premier Cru offers IFAs quick, generous commissions with no dated commission runs. All commission is paid within 15 days of receiving the client’s cheque and there is no claw-back on commissions.

The growing lack of confidence surrounding traditional investments makes it paramount that IFAs know and understand what alternative investments are available. IFAs need to expand their knowledge of the advantages of alternative investments to ensure that they can offer a variety of options to clients who are disconcerted by the risks of traditional investment. Investors are seeking ways to create a m ore balanced portfolio, and it is becoming imperative that IFAs are able to suggest new alternatives for their clients.

Why Fine Wine?

Fine Wine has many advantages over other forms of investments, such as unit trusts, life assurance, investment bonds and equities. Fine Wine benefits from being stable, tax-free, easily realisable, consumable, low risk and portable. Above all else, due to decreasing availability, there is increasing demand. Fine Wine has consistently outperformed all other forms of recognised investment. It has remained the steadiest form of investment, as it is generally unaffected by recession, interest rate changes and stock market fluctuations.

In comparison to other alternative investments, Fine Wine has clear advantages over investments such as art or property. Fine Wine is easily stored and generally increases in quality the longer it is left. Investing in either art or property requires expensive maintenance and care, while Fine Wine needs no such attention.

Fine Wine investment is becoming an increasingly attractive option to innovative investors who wish to gain more out of their investments.

Stacey Golding , Investments Director of Premier Cru, commented on today’s news, “Premier Cru is looking forward to working with many IFAs, in order to give people the opportunity to explore alternative investments.

“As people’s perception of this form of investment grows, so will its popularity and demand . People do not like to discuss their pension premiums amongst friends around the dinner table, but they do like to talk about the value of their wine.”

Premier Cru Fine Wine Investments Ltd was formed with the specific intention of offering structured and managed investments to people with little or no knowledge of wine. The Company is unique, in that it provides tailor-made portfolios with no lock-in periods, thus enabling investors to add or subtract at will to pay off a wedding, children's school fees, a m ortgage or even create an income to supplement your pension etc. It does not charge upfront or exit fees, nor early redemption penalties, and investors' profits are free from capital gains and income tax. Unlike ISA's there are no upper limits, and Premier Cru's minimum investment is the lowest in the market, at £1,500 and/or £100 per month.