Frequently Asked Questions

Investable wines come from the world's top wine regions — France, Italy, Spain, the USA and beyond — and are crafted by their most exceptional winemakers. We focus on wines with decades or even centuries of proven excellence, consistently commanding premium prices. Wines with compelling stories, such as innovative winemaking techniques, are particularly appealing.

At Alchemy, we provide trusted, independent advice with no stock ownership or paid industry affiliations. Our sole focus is creating portfolios tailored to our clients' objectives. We source wines at the best possible prices through direct allocations from importers, the Liv-ex wholesale platform, and trusted merchants across Europe.

Your wines will be securely stored in Octavian Vaults, the UK's leading wine storage facility, by our UK partner, Private Reserves Ltd. They will be stored under your name and will remain your legal property at all times.

London is the global hub for fine wine trading, offering extensive merchant networks, trading platforms, and professional, climate-controlled storage. This setup simplifies and reduces the costs of selling your wine. Additionally, private investors can trade wines "in bond," excluding VAT.

Yes, your wines are fully insured as part of your annual storage charges.

You will be charged directly by Private Reserves for annual storage and insurance, which equates to £16.14 for a 12-bottle case and £8.06 for a 6-bottle case, inclusive of VAT. Other fees may include handling charges for incoming and outgoing wines.

We commit to always sourcing your wines at or below the best price in the market on the day of purchase — without exception. This is based on the lowest price on Wine Searcher, which aggregates offers by wine merchants across Europe.

At Alchemy, we only buy from trusted suppliers, including direct allocations from top châteaux. We also inspect and photograph every case upon arrival at the warehouse to ensure that they are authentic and in pristine condition.

Yes, you can view your portfolio through a user-friendly online portal and monitor its performance through a direct feed from Liv-ex, the leading provider of wine market data and prices. Alchemy can also offer more detailed estimates upon request, accounting for trading fees and other considerations.

While wine is now the most mature and liquid of all collectibles, it is still a physical asset with higher trading costs than equities. As such, we recommend holding wines for at least 5 years and preferably 10 years to maximise your return.

The Liv-ex 1000 index, the broadest measure of the fine wine market, has achieved annualised returns of c. 6.5% over the past 20 years. However, higher returns are achievable through a more customised strategy based on your unique risk appetite.

Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Fine wine has low correlation and much lower volatility than equities, making it an excellent way to diversify and reduce drawdowns in a broader portfolio. A recent academic study by Switzerland's University of Applied Sciences recommended that investors allocate c. 10% of their investable assets to fine wine.

Climate change is already having a profound impact on the great vineyards of the world. Weather-related events such as frost, hail, floods and even fires are reducing yields at a time when global demand for investment wines is increasing exponentially.

As climates warm further, it is likely that many wines will change or even disappear entirely in the decades to come, making the wines of today increasingly rare and valuable time capsules of the pre-climate change era.

At Alchemy, our goal is to maximise the value of your wines by offering them for sale across a diverse array of channels, from trading platforms to trusted European wine merchants. Alchemy is also a trade member of Liv-ex, the wholesale fine wine trading platform, which has over 600 wine industry clients globally and provides a deep source of liquidity.

Once your initial portfolio is complete, Alchemy charges a 1.5% transaction fee on any subsequent purchases or sales arranged on your behalf. We are happy to offer ongoing advice, including an annual portfolio review, at no additional cost.