Collectible Investments for the High Net Worth Investor

Chapter Bordeaux Wine Vintage Quality and the Weather

Nor let thy vineyard bend toward the sun when setting.

—Virgil

In this chapter we show that the quality of the vintage for red Bordeaux wines, as judged by the prices of mature wines, can be predicted by the weather during the growing season that produced the wines. Red Bordeaux wines have been produced in the same place and in much the same way for hundreds of years. When young, the wines from the best vineyards are astringent, and many people find them unpleasant to consume. As these wines age, they lose their astringency, and many people find them very pleasant to consume. Because Bordeaux wines taste better when they are older, there is an incentive to store the young wines until they ...