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Jul
6
Wine is a better recession investment than stocks
Filed Under Wine Strategy, Wine Trends | Comments Off
It also tastes better.
The Financial Times just published a fantastic infographic about wine, which basically tells you everything you’d ever want to know about grape varieties, wine regions, and good wines.
But buried in all the superb information is a remarkable nugget: A chart of the Liv-ex 100, which is the wine equivalent of the S&P 500:
By itself, that’s not remarkable. But then, take a look at the actual S&P 500. In the last three years, it’s down 26%. The Liv-ex 100, by contrast, is up by about 12%. That sort of performance would beat all but the very best hedge-fund managers. (And at least some of those guys are probably cheating.)
The Liv-ex 100 includes wines whose names you hear most often in a Bond flick or a rap song: Lafite Rothschild, Latour, Petrus, Ychem, Cristal, and Dom Perignon.
Once you’ve kicked yourself for salting money away in your 401k instead of going on a wine shopping spree, check out the rest of the infographic, which contains maps detailing the wine regions across the world, and recommendations from renown wine taster Jancis Robinson.
By Cliff Kuang | Source :: Fast Company
Jun
9
Exploring the World of Wine Tourism
Filed Under Wine Strategy, Wine Travel | Comments Off
Knowledge@Wharton interviews George M. Taber, author of In Search of Bacchus: Wanderings in the Wonderful World of Wine Tourism.
In this book, Taber took on the task (someone had to do it) of visiting a dozen of the most breathtakingly beautiful wine regions around the globe. What he came back with is a travel guide for oenophiles that also serves as a primer on how and why winemakers are increasingly turning themselves into destination sites. In addition, Taber’s tour opens a window on the growing segmentation of the travel industry as a whole and offers lessons about competitive advantage and marketing that apply to all consumer-driven businesses.
Jun
5
Vinfolio Gets Big Bucks for Wine Collecting Play
Filed Under Wine Strategy | Comments Off
It’s a tough market for wine collectors. Disposable income is still at a premium, and there is already plenty of competition. There are plenty of brick-and-mortar and online stores catering to wine enthusiasts … not to mention the likes of auction houses such as Sotheby’s, which dominate the auction scene for liquid bliss. Nonetheless, Vinfolio, which has been around since 2003, found a way to reach into the pocket of former AOL top dog Steve Case.
The amount Case plunked down for a piece of Vinfolio hasn’t been disclosed, but it is known that he put $10 million into another luxury business, Exclusive Resorts. Whatever he’s put into the business comes on top of $10 million already raised.
Does this mean the upscale wine market is coming back? The economic recovery may still be delicate, but this seems like a smart move for down the road. After all, money in a wine collector’s pocket is always looking for a home.
By Tom Johansmeyer | Source :: www.luxist.com
May
19
10 Signs Your Business is Failing & How to Recover
Filed Under Wine Strategy | Comments Off
Although we are seeing signs of general economic recovery, the last year has been a hard slog for small winery and vineyard owners. In an economic downturn, the luxury good, hospitality, and travel industries are often the hardest hit. Among our associates, chins are held high and stories of silver linings abound. But industry vendors and salesmen are telling a different story–one of back payments requiring COD status, higher returns, down trending sales, and equipment foreclosures.
Now more than ever, it’s important to have a clear-eyed view of your business’ health, ratios and sales trends. In a climate where bankers are looking at every new loan application with a jaundiced eye, and subjecting renewals to greater scrutiny, it’s important to be able to identify and address each of the signs that your bankers will be looking at. Even if you feel that your sales and bottom line are healthy, you may be surprised to see your business in a different light by applying some of the ratios below. And if your business really is healthy, then you should be able to present these ratios with pride and explain what you are doing to protect and increase them.
Read the full article and download the white paper by Debra Ellis.
Source :: Central Coast Wine Blogs
May
11
Wine.com Announces Bordeaux Futures Program
Filed Under Wine Strategy | Comments Off
If you’re a fan of Bordeaux, numerous vintage reports have ranked the 2009 vintage as being superb - one commentator went so far as to ask if it weren’t the best vintage in 60 years. Your job now is to make sure you can actually get one of the finer bottles, and help has arrived in the form of Wine.com’s 2009 Bordeaux Futures Program.
The site worked with Negociant Patrick Baugier of Capital Millesime and visited 400 chateaux, finally settling on a range of 2009 Bordeaux from 50 chateaux both big and small, including Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Pavie, Chateau Leoville Las Cases, Chateau Cheval Blanc, Chateau Olivier and Chateau La Couspaude. The list itself was curated by Anthony Foster, who has 40 years of experience in the region and is Master of Wines for Wine.com.
The initial list of futures will be released shortly, with more becoming available on a rolling basis. You’ll be able to buy futures by the bottle or the case, bottles are sold on a first come, first serve basis. You allotment will be delivered as they are shipped from each chateau, projected to be Fall 2011, and you can keep up with your Bordeaux on the Wine.com site.
Source :: www.luxist.com
