Liv-ex, the fine wine trading exchange and wine market analyst, have come up with this thought-provoking graphic, plotting the number of billionaires known to exist with their fine wine index.
As you can see from the lower graph, the relentless rise in wine prices seems to be tailing off now – perhaps not surprisingly. Anthony Maxwell of Liv-ex reports, "it's a buyer's market for the first time in more than three years. First growth 2005s are under a lot of pressure, and indeed the firsts across the board to a certain extent. But the buyers are still there (at the right price) and activity on the exchange is right up there".
Indeed. A look at the average transaction price for Ch Lafite 2005 on www.liv-ex.com shows a fall of nearly 20% in the last two months.
Look out for my tasting notes on top 2005 red bordeaux, tasted earlier this month, which will be published soon.