Lafite illustrates strength of fine wine investment

Wine trading has become more transparent in the last decade with the introduction of the Liv-ex - which measures the success of fine wines to identify trends among investors.

Figures from the Drinks Business (DB) indicate the fine wine market is worth £2.5 billion, demonstrating the potential for achieving profits for anyone interested in wine investment.

A report by the publication illustrated the rise of Lafite over the past few decades, with the wine now a "label of choice" among the Chinese - who are increasingly beginning to demand wines as a result of the "newly rich".

DB was launched mid-2002 and apparently a case of Lafite would have cost investors £2,500 at the time, however, the value of the wine has risen dramatically to £16,000 per case today.

Branding has helped to drive the success of the wine in China, with sales of the label increasing 20 per cent within a day after it unveiled the inclusion of the Chinese character for the number eight on its 2008 bottles.

This was complemented by the finding that sales of Mouton Rothschild doubled within a couple of weeks of it being revealed that Chinese artist Xu Lei was announced as the creator of the label for the same vintage.

According to DB, the contents of a bottle of Lafite 1982 were worth £3,500 by December 2010 - five times the value of its weight in black truffles.

These results indicate the value of Lafite has spiralled in recent times, especially in light of the rise of the Chinese wine market, making it an attractive wine investment.

It seems British superstore Tesco is even cashing in on the investment potential of Lafite after it was revealed it would be selling the brand mostly through its online site.

As well as retailing Chateau Lafite Rothschild, the supermarket will be offering consumers the chance to purchase other fine wines like Chateau Pontet Canet and Mouton-Rothschild.