Record Breaking Year for en primeur

London, 6 April 2004: The Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, an association of 130 of the region’s top producers, will see 4,500 people come from around the world to attend en primeur this year – “a record”, according to French newspaper Sud-Ouest. Today’s news highlights the benefits of investing in en primeur at the earliest possible stage.

The interest in this year’s barrel tastings, centres on the summer heat wave of 2003 which prompted early picking and reduced yields as the grapes ripened much faster than normal. But then dramatic rain in September mitigated the effect of the heat and produced a ‘powerful, round, seductive’ vintage. Such a limited and high-quality production screams ‘Great Investment Opportunity’.

‘En primeur’ is the term used to describe the earliest stage of a wine’s life (i.e. still in the cask). The release of the wine is always in the spring of the year after the harvest; therefore the 2003 will be sold in the spring of 2004 and subsequently delivered in 2006. If the vintage is good, then the first few years is often when the wine makes its initial profit before settling into a steady rise as it matures. The two main price movements are seen as the three main tranches are released, and again when the wine is delivered.

One of the best ways to invest in ‘en primeur’ is through Premier Cru, Europe’s leading Fine Wine investment house. Premier Cru removes all the common drawbacks from other investment schemes by providing tailor made portfolios with no lock in periods, no up front or exit fees, nor early redemption penalties. Premier Cru chooses only the best wines of the vintage, and arranges all shipping from the chateaux.

Paula Golding, Managing Director at Premier Cru, stated: “Today’s announcement supports what we have said since the start. This is looking like a remarkable vintage and a perfect opportunity to realise significant value by investing early. Premier Cru offers structured investments not just for wine enthusiasts, but also to individuals who may have little or no idea of how to make their money grow in this exciting sector. Being one of Europe’s leading fine wine investment advisers, we believe en primeur 2003 is going to be a highly opportunistic time to invest in fine wine.”

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Dominic Barretto
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