Pouring Wine to Your Investment Portfolio - Returns on a High!

EMsPouring Wine to Your Portfolio
January 15, 2015
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Wine – A long-term alternative investment that yields high returns and has low correlation with other assets
Investment-grade wine is an alternative asset class similar to gold, fine art, rare coins, and stamps. In the last decade, investment in
Fine Wine provided higher returns compared to the traditional asset classes such as equity, bond, real estate, or commodity due to its
limited production and increasing demand from the emerging markets, especially China. Also, Fine Wine investment had low
correlation with other asset classes (less than 0.4) during the same period. Higher returns and low correlation make Fine Wine an
interesting investment asset class. Moreover, after moving in the negative territory for almost four years on poor vintage quality, Fine
Wine prices rebounded in August 2014 due to positive investor sentiment, driven by rising demand from China. The investment-grade
wine index Liv-ex has generated positive month-on-month returns for four months in a row since August 2014. Amid such historically
low price levels, Fine Wine is emerging as an attractive investment alternative for long-term investors considering its high returns and
low correlation with other asset classes. Fine Wine is expected to have a bright future in 2015 due to growing demand from buyers in
Asia and the US; moreover, an improved vintage harvest in 2015 would support the price of Fine Wine.
Ankit Goel, Bhavik Mehta, and Garima Gupta – Investment Research Team, Aranca
Fine Wine investment offers portfolio diversification at higher returns and low correlation
Investment in wine generated consistent (~9.5%) annual return in the last decade
According to MarketLine, the global wine industry was expected to sell 22.1bn liters of wine and generate total revenues of around USD
292bn in 2014. Only ~1% of the total wine produced is used for investment purposes, while the rest is consumed. The wines used for
investment purposes are also called “blue chip” or “investment-grade wines”. As the value of wine increases over time, it offers high
returns if held until the maturity stage, which varies from a minimum of five years to 20 years or more. Over the last decade, the price of
wine had an average annual appreciation of approximately 9.5%. Gold is the only asset class under our study which generated slightly
higher returns (10%) than Fine Wine during the same period. Since investment in Fine Wine provides higher long-term returns and has
low correlation with other asset classes, it is considered as an attractive alternative asset class and acts as a portfolio diversifier for an
investor’s investments.
Fine Wine and gold yielded highest returns among different asset classes in the last decade
Source: Bloomberg
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
LIVX100 Index S&P 500
S&P Global REIT MSCI World Index
CISDMEW Index (Hedge fund) Gold
S&P World Commodity Index MorningStar EM Corporate Bond Index
Wine generated highest returns among all
asset classes during 2004-11 due to higher
demand from emerging markets and limited
production of investable-grade Fine Wine.
Wine yielded lower results than gold since 2H 2010 due
to poor harvest at one of the key producers (Bordeaux)

January 15, 2015
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In the last three years, the investment-grade wine index Liv-ex 100 declined 7.1% which can be mainly ascribed to a drop in the prices
of Bordeaux wine which constitutes the majority of the index. In June 2014, of a total of 100 wines contributing to the Liv-ex 100 Index,
about 84 wines were from Bordeaux. In the last four years, the Bordeaux region witnessed poor vintage quality, with the 2013 vintage
considered as the worst in 30 years owing to weak harvests. This deteriorated the quality of wines, leading to a decline in prices.
Reversing the downtrend, the Liv-ex 100 Index began generating positive month-on-month returns since August 2014. A current low
price level lured buyers back to the market, as investors believe the price of wine has bottomed out. The demand for Bordeaux wine
has improved since August 2014, led by increasing investor confidence, especially in Asia and the US. Among Asian countries, China is
a key growth driver, where wine consumption is expected to almost double to 400mn cases of wine by 2016 from 230mn cases in 2012,
according to Morgan Stanley’s estimates. With this, China could become the biggest wine consumer globally, outpacing the current
leading consumers France, the US, and Italy. In 2012, the estimated wine consumption in France and the US was close to 340mn
cases each, while that in Italy was 250mn cases. Overall, this rising demand for wine from the US and Asia (especially China) is
expected to outrun the supply as production levels have fallen in the last few years. This would also contribute to an increase in the
prices of Fine Wine. Moreover, a normal-to-good vintage harvest in early 2015 may be a key catalyst supporting the rising prices.
Key advantages of wine as an asset class:
High capital growth and low volatility: According to our analysis, the investment-grade wine market (represented by the Liv-
ex 100 Index) generated an annualized return of 9.5% during the last decade. This is the second highest return among all
major asset classes included in our study. Only gold outperformed the investment-grade wine on an absolute basis, generating
an annualized return of 10.0% during this period. The volatility of annualized monthly returns of the investment-grade wine
market was the second-lowest among all asset classes. Only a standard deviation of 6.8% for Hedge Funds (represented by
the CISDMEW Index) was lower than that of 10.9% for the Liv-ex 100 Index.
Fine Wine investment offered the lowest risk-reward than other asset classes in the last decade
Source: Bloomberg. We have used available indices with data history of 10 years or more to represent various asset classes. Period: November 2004-November 2014
Superior risk-adjusted returns: During the last decade, the investment-grade wine market generated the highest risk-
adjusted returns (as measured by both, the Sharpe ratio and Sortino ratio) among the asset classes included in our study. The
Sharpe ratio and Sortino ratio of the Liv-ex 100 Index came at 0.67 and 0.92, respectively, higher than all other asset class.
LIVX100 Index (Wine)
S&P 500
MSCI EM Index
S&P Global REIT
CISDMEW Index
(Hedge fund)
Gold
S&P World Commodity
Index
MorningStar EM
Corporate Bond Index
MSCI World Index
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
Return
Risk

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Fine Wine investment yields the highest risk-adjusted returns than other asset classes
Source: Bloomberg. Risk free rate considered as US 10 year Treasury bond yield. Period: November 2004-November 2014. *MorningStar EM Corporate Bond Index.
Portfolio diversification: Historically, the investment-grade wine market has not shown high correlation with other major
equity-type asset classes, nor does it tend to strongly move in line with hedge funds, gold, bond, or other commodities. It had a
correlation of 0.24 with the S&P 500 Index, and correlations of 0.16 and 0.34 with the Gold Index and S&P World Commodity
Index, respectively. Thus, investments in investment-grade wine may help investors protect their portfolio against events that
have severe impact on the equity and commodity markets. Among other asset classes, only gold possesses similar portfolio
diversification characteristics. The Gold Index and Fine Wine Index had correlation of less than 0.4 with all other asset classes
under our analysis.
Fine Wine investment provides good portfolio diversification as it has low correlation with other asset classes
LIVX100
Index
(Wine)
Gold S&P 500
S&P
Global
REIT
MSCI EM
Index
S&P World
Commodity
Index
CISDMEW
Index
(Hedge
fund)
MorningStar
EM
Corporate
Bond
LIVX100 Index
(Wine)
1.00 0.16 0.24 0.26 0.28 0.34 0.38 0.39
Gold 0.16 1.00 0.10 0.17 0.33 0.39 0.32 0.31
S&P 500 0.24 0.10 1.00 0.84 0.79 0.45 0.80 0.66
S&P Global REIT 0.26 0.17 0.84 1.00 0.71 0.36 0.68 0.73
MSCI EM Index 0.28 0.33 0.79 0.71 1.00 0.57 0.91 0.73
S&P World
Commodity Index
0.34 0.39 0.45 0.36 0.57 1.00 0.64 0.51
CISDMEW Index
(Hedge fund)
0.38 0.32 0.80 0.68 0.91 0.64 1.00 0.76
MorningStar EM
Corporate Bond
0.39 0.31 0.66 0.73 0.73 0.51 0.76 1.00
Source: Bloomberg. Correlation of last 10 year M-o-M returns. Period: November 2004-November 2014
(0.5) - 0.5 1.0
S&P World Commodity
S&P Global REIT
MSCI World Index
MSCI EM Index
S&P 500
Gold
Bond Index*
CISDMEW (Hedge fund)
LIVX100 Index
Sharpe Ratio
(0.5) - 0.5 1.0
S&P World Commodity
S&P Global REIT
MSCI World Index
MSCI EM Index
S&P 500
Gold
Bond Index*
CISDMEW (Hedge fund)
LIVX100 Index
Sortino Ratio

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Consistent returns over time: Investment in Fine Wine should be considered for long term as the returns are more
consistent and less volatile for longer time horizon due to supply-demand imbalance in the long term. The figure below
illustrates that CAGR returns over a 10-year period are consistent and not so volatile, whereas CAGR returns over five- and
seven-year periods are relatively more volatile.
Liv-ex 100 Index’s 10-year CAGR has been consistent compared to 5- and 7-year CAGR
Source: Bloomberg and www.liv-ex.com
Tax-free investment for UK investors: The taxation authorities in the UK consider investment-grade wine, with life
expectancy of less than 50 years, as a wasting asset. Thus, any profit derived from the sale of such wines is not subject to
capital gains tax under the current UK taxation rules.
Key concerns of wine as an asset class:
Low liquidity: The investment-grade wine market is less liquid compared with the conventional equity and debt markets due
to small market size and high brokerage charges (15–20%).
Higher transaction, maintenance, and insurance costs: The transaction costs associated with the trading of investment-
grade wine is considerably higher than those of other asset classes such as stocks and bonds. Moreover, wines need to be
stored in a vibration-free environment and away from light (at a standard temperature). Investors of Fine Wine can rent a
specialized wine storage unit or allow the wine merchant to store these on their behalf. However, both methods incur heavy
storage costs. Additionally, investors have to spend large amounts of money on insurance costs against any damages. Thus,
considering the high costs of transaction, storage, and insurance, the wine investor expects a significant price appreciation
before reaping profits.
No provision for interim income: Unlike the dividend-paying equity stocks and interest-bearing bonds, investment-grade
wine does not generate any income for the investor until it is sold. Thus, the high expenses on the storage, transaction, and
insurance would only increase the costs for the investor while waiting for the price to appreciate.
Complexity in trading process: It is unlikely that a local liquor store would stock high-end wines from sought-after vintages.
In addition, buying investment-grade wines on their initial offering would be difficult because wines in short supply typically go
to long-term customers first. Thus, a wine investor would prefer to buy a Fine Wine at a specialty auction. Moreover, the
auction route is usually the only avenue available to wine collectors seeking to sell bottles. This, coupled with multiple state
laws, adds to the complexity in trading in investment-grade wines.
-5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
Jul-11
Dec-11
May-12
Oct-12
Mar-13
Aug-13
Jan-14
Jun-14
Nov-14
5 year (CAGR) 7 year (CAGR) 10 year (CAGR)
-15%
-10%
-5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
M-o-M YTD 1yr 5yr
Liv-ex Fine Wine 50 Liv-ex Fine Wine 100
Liv-ex Bordeaux 500 Liv-ex Fine Wine 1000
Liv-ex Fine Wine Investables
Fine Wine indices
Performance as on 30 November 2014
Liv-ex 100 Index

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Spoilage, damage, or theft: Investment-grade wines, being a tangible and consumable asset, are subject to the risk of
spoilage, damage, and theft. However, an investor can minimize these risks by storing wines in a safe and temperature- &
humidity-controlled facility and by buying insurance for the wines’ replacement value.
Supply of counterfeit wine: Wine investors are always at the risk of being supplied a counterfeit wine. A recent news article
from the InsuranceNewsNet magazine estimates that 70.0% of all Chateau Lafite Rothschild in China are counterfeit.
How to invest in Fine Wine?
Investment in Fine Wine is not a new phenomenon. Investment in wines increased after the establishment of wine stock exchanges in
1999 which provided investors with easy access to market information, most important of which is the price of wine. In order to qualify
for the investment-grade wine, the wine should possess high quality, longevity, sufficient production levels, and ability to deliver
significant price appreciation. These wines have a strong demand and their value appreciates over time. Some common ways of
investing in wine are listed below:
Wine aging: This requires buying a high-quality vintage wine and selling it after some years. This is commonly known as
“aging of wine”. The process is cumbersome as it involves storage costs, temperature control for storage, and a seller who
would pay the right price for the wine.
Wine auctions: Investment-grade wines can be procured from auctions. These auctions are common in the US, particularly in
Chicago. The auctions in London are held mainly to decide on the retail price of other vintage wines.
Wine stock market: Wine is widely traded on three wine exchanges in the UK: London International Vintners Exchange (Liv-
ex), Cavex, and Berry Bros. & Rudd (BBX). These exchanges focus primarily on top wines having high saleable value. The
Liv-ex has multiple indices and sub-indices (Liv-ex Fine Wine 50, Liv-ex Fine Wine 100 and others) that are widely used to
track prices of tradable investment wines.
Wine funds: The function of these funds is identical to that of mutual funds. A group of investors form a pool of capital. The
fund manager, who is the caretaker of this pool of capital, invests the same to buy wine and waits for the right opportunity for a
resale. The profits gained by the fund manager are either re-invested or passed on to the shareholders. Since this form of
investment involves huge risks, most investors here are high-net-worth clients who have a large risk appetite. Some wine
funds include The Wine Investment Fund, Fine Wine Fund by The Wine Asset Managers LLP (WAM), and The Vintage Wine
Fund by OWC Asset Managers Ltd.
REITS: Investors have the option of investing their money in vineyard lands through REITS that deal in vineyard land as an
asset. For example, the Blue Chip Winery Fund of the Bahamas follows the strategy of buying stake in vineyards and wineries
based in Europe and Canada.

January 15, 2015
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