Having a thirst for high returns

Ed Wight - 6th December 2009

With conventional investment opportunities drying up, perhaps its time to look at some liquid luxury.


For the wine makers of Bordeaux, the summer of 1811 was heaven sent. Week after week their vineyards were bathed in hot sunshine, followed by a dry, warm autumn they could normally have only dreamt of. Then, as vintners began to harvest their grapes, the night sky was lit up by the trail of Haley’s Comet. For the superstitious among them this was akin to a divine blessing and they called it the summer of the Comet Vintage. It has since been described as the best vintage on record.

Proof of the celestial and legendary reputation of the few surviving 1811 Bordeauxs came a few months ago ...