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Investing in wine?

edited November 2013 in Off-Topic
This story is about the coming wine shortage. Do any mutual funds buy wine?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-24746539

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Comments

  • edited November 2013
    No mutual funds buy vineyards straight-up, but you can buy a few different winery stocks (like Crimson Wine, which was spun-off from Leucadia), as well as things like Diageo (DEO).
  • edited November 2013
    Yes, there are specialized funds who do this.

    Linked is an interesting article from Food and Wine...of course, I suppose one could purchase high-end wine and store it in the basement. But, this would no doubt be one of the worst "investment" decisions I ever made, though very tasty.

    http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/is-wine-a-smart-investment
  • edited November 2013
    Reply to @PRESSmUP:

    It's not liquid (badump).

    Anyone can buy serious futures, say of bordeaux (I have done this many times, modest chateaux), and within 5-9 years or whatever they will be worth much more than what you paid. But then what, if not to drink? You will not sell them on ebay or craigslist, and while you might strike a small private deal with your local serious store, their paperwork is thorough and they need to keep it clean for A F T and state entities, I believe. Maybe a liquor store owner could chime in. Your linked F&W article sums it up nicely, though, storage and provenance problems and all.

    We will know the end is near when there is a wine etf. And we non-Chinese can blame it on the Chinese.

    As we are in a near-golden age of inexpensive wines, at least reds (under say $14), I will believe there is problematic shortage when I see it. Yellowtail aside, there are so many good highly drinkable bottles available, closeouts, bin ends, malbecs, California blends, much less big high-quality cheapies like the Gallo Barefoot line (really well-made), it is quite beyond comprehension. Try storing them for >1-3 years and you will see. One amazing global-econ fact (true of much else, and for years) is economy-of-scale costing: it would cost nearly as much to ship a glass bottle of water or air from Croatia or Australia to a store in Dayton as it does of good, or not so good, wine. The nonglass-distribution movement will grow and wax for sure. How ungreen to ship heavy green bottles long distances.
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