How do you make money from investing in vintage wines? Our expert’s first piece of advice: Keep a Cork in it

My first wine investment was a case of an obscure McLaren Vale cabernet from South Australia for something like A$1.20 a bottle. I never had the chance to either drink it or reap any financial benefits because it was stored under the stairs of my wreck of a house in a gold-rush town in central Victoria. Some school friends decided to clear away the brambles and outbuildings when I wasn’t there and then reward themselves by devouring my case of red. A few decades later, I purchased a magnum of Cheval Blanc 1949 (my birth year) and then put it in my cellar until I could think of whom to share this treasure with. I needn’t have bothered, because the lead seal was missing from the top, the cork became infected, shrunk and, therefore, ruined it before it could be tasted.

If you are serious about wine investment, your wine should be kept at a first rate place, such as Crown Cellars in Hong Kong. It should also always be “in bond,” so that the future owner will know it has never been exposed to the outside elements. The other point of keeping it out of your own cellar is that you will not be tempted to crack it open to celebrate some victory or birthday.

Lesson number one: Storage is all and bondage is essential.

My first foray into wine investment was bound to be a failure as the wine was completely obscure. It is essential to purchase only the most expensive wines from top vintages. I could have bought Petrus 1982 for £475 a case » next