Asia's wine collections now rival those of the rest of the world, says Michael Au, Christie's Hong Kong wine specialist. Case in point: The auction house's Sept. 18 sale this year involves a unique collection of 400 cases from the top 13 châteaux in Europe, including Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Petrus and Château Haut-Brion. The bottles are completely untouched, with pristine labels and clean provenance; all are stored properly in Europe. The owner of this fine collection? A South Korean conglomerate - SK Networks.
Wine collectors are a different breed from wine lovers. For a collector, the perfect bottle has less to do with flavor than with value. It is an investment, not for drinking.
Lately, huge demand for fine wines from Asia - buyers from greater China made up of 82% of Christie's spring wine sale in Hong Kong - has pushed up prices substantially, especially for Bordeaux. It looks like a good bottle may be a better buy than many stocks on the market. Last year, a single lot at Christie's, the 'Liquid Gold Collection,' 128 bottles and 40 magnums of Château d'Yquem, fetched more than US$1million dollars, the highest price for a wine lot ever sold in Asia.
But starting a collection takes some planning, says Au. Here, some tenets to keep in mind.
1. French wines are king. If you have to choose one bottle, make it a Bordeaux, says Au. These reds are 'the cornerstones of the Asian wine market.' Producers of Bordeaux, such as Haut-Brion, Château Latour, Château Margaux, Château Lafite and Château Mouton-Rothschild, are considered the industry's blue-chip labels, formally classified as 'first growths' or Premier Crus. 'Burgundies are a good second choice,' he adds.
2. The best source for rare finds: Asia. 'In the months following the financial crash of 2008, lots of European and American sellers pushed their inventory to Asia,' says Au. 'As a result, there's a higher chance to find a rare bottle out here in the Asian market' than in the West.
3. Store it well. Buyers today insist on knowing exactly where bottles have been, since there's little guarantee that a bottle won't be corked or improperly aged. Some storage facilities have even started to use laser engraved codes to help track a bottle or a case? A proper storage facility, where temperatures sit at 13 degrees Celsius and humidity levels range between 55% and 60%, is a worthwhile investment. It costs just US$2 to $5 a month a bottle and ensures the wine won't depreciate in quality.
Amy Ma
收藏葡萄酒的入门级原则  Christie 香 港佳士得(Christie's)洋酒部专家欧俊康说，如今亚洲的葡萄酒收藏可以媲美世界其它地方。有例为证，佳士得今年9月18日一场专拍的拍品包括400箱珍贵的来自欧洲前十三甲酒庄的葡萄酒名酿，从拉菲堡(Chateau Lafite Rothschild)口柏翠堡(Chateau Petrus)到奥比昂酒庄(Chateau Haut-Brion)，应有尽有。所有佳酿都以最佳方式在欧洲保存，至今原封未动，还贴着原始标签，保持着最初的清新口感。那么，谁是这批藏品的主人呢？是韩国大型企业集团SK Networks。葡萄酒收藏者与葡萄酒爱好者不同。对于前者来说，葡萄酒的完美与否主要跟价值有关，口味倒是其次。葡萄酒对他们来说是一种投资，而不是用来满足口腹之欲。 亚洲对精品葡萄酒的巨大需求成为近来葡萄酒价格，尤其是法国波尔多葡萄酒价格飙升的主要原因。佳士得香港顶级珍贵名酒春季拍卖会上，大中华地区的买家占到全部拍卖额的82%。看来买一瓶上好的佳酿会比买多支股票更上算。去年佳士得的一批“液体黄金藏品”(Liquid Gold Collection)──128标准瓶和40大瓶的伊甘酒庄(Chateau d'Yquem)葡萄酒──拍得100余万美元，创下单一批次葡萄酒的亚洲最高拍价。 不过欧俊康表示，涉足葡萄酒收藏前需要做做规划，要知道一些基本原则。 1. 法国葡萄酒是王道。欧俊康说，如果你只能收藏一瓶酒，一定要选法国波尔多，波尔多红酒是亚洲葡萄酒市场的王中之王。波尔多酒制造商，如奥比昂酒庄口拉图堡(Chateau Latour)口玛歌酒庄(Chateau Margaux)口拉菲堡和木桐酒庄(Chateau Mouton-Rothschild)，都是业内公认的 “蓝筹股”，被列为“升值最快红酒”或一等酒庄之列。他补充说，勃艮第葡萄酒是不错的第二选择。 2. 珍贵名品的最佳渠道来源：亚洲。欧俊康说，2008年爆发金融危机后的几个月时间里，很多欧美葡萄酒卖家都纷纷将其陈年佳酿销往亚洲，因此在亚洲市场碰到稀有葡萄酒的几率大于西方市场。 3. 保存条件需适当。现在的买家都坚决要求卖方提供葡萄酒曾经的储藏地点，因为如果一瓶好酒没有用软木塞封存或储存不当，其质量就得不到保障。有些储存场所甚至开始使用激光印刻编码，以对瓶装或整箱葡萄酒进行跟踪。能维持13摄氏度恒温、湿度介于55%-60%之间的储存设备也很值得投资。每月只需花费2-5美元，就可确保葡萄酒品质不会降低。 |
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