My Wine Fridge

Investing in wine

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:03:40 +0000

Wine as an investment? Is it really an option? Is it a good idea to put your money into a product such as wine? Could wine, over time, be a better investment than stocks and shares?

The answer to all of these questions is a resounding yes, of course.

Just like other investments there are many factors that determine profitability, or not. In the fine wine market, one of the most important factors is the product itself. Make the wrong purchase at the beginning and your investment may quickly become a complete waste of money.

The most popular wines in the investment sector come from Bordeuax.

Since 1855 its wines have been divided into five gradings:

Crème de la Crème (first growth)
Super Seconds
Third Growths
Fourth Growths
Fifth Growths

First growths can take up to 20 years to mature.

Don’t try to break the mould if you are new to wine investing; stay where the experts are, and as this time, they all talk about Bordeaux.

Why does a fine wine increase in value?

The simple answer is supply and demand. Or in the case of fine wines, the lack of supply coupled with increased demand. After each harvest it is only possible for wine-makers to produce a finite quantity of wine. Once the wines are released it is impossible to produce more. This makes great wines increasingly scarce and therefore pushes up their value.

In general, the longer a wine is left to mature the better the quality, however, there are wines that have a predetermined shelf-life and these would obviously not make a good investment.

The term to watch for when researching wine investing is ‘investment grade’.

Knowledge, expeirence and expectations help establish a wine as investment grade. The decisions are made by wine experts such as Robert Parker Jnr, who uses as points system to rate wine. The highest rating is 100. Any wine Robert Parker Jnr rates at 100 is a serious contender for wine investors. Any wine that has a rating of 90+ should be given the once-over.

Most investment grade wine is available through auctions such as Sotheby’s and Bonhams and certainly not your local Bargain Booze. Typically, investment wine is bought by the case rather than per bottle.

Do it yourself or employ an expert?

It depends upon how much money you want to invest, how much time you can invest in research and your goals. If you want to take wine investing seriously and learn about all the intricacies, then doing it yourself (coupled with advice from experts) is a good way to go. If you are an investor who only considers the profit margins then using a wine broker is certainly the best option.

How much can profit can me made through wine investing?

How long is a piece of string? Some say you can expect a 30% a year return on an investment. This is at the high-end of the range and only wine experts can realistically expect increases at such rates.

Additional costs

After purchasing the wine there are additional costs to factor in – most notably is storage.

Storing investment wine at home incurs an import fee of around £13 per case and VAT on the purchase price. Storing the wine in a warehouse ‘in bond’ reduces the temptation to crack open the odd bottle and carries a relatively cheap (per case) annual storage fee.

Futures

London International Wine Fair 2012

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:47:06 +0000

Taking place this year between 22 – 24 May at Excel London.

The London International Wine Fair is designed to cater for all members of the the wine trade; whether you are at the top of the tree buying for a large wine house, a sommelier serving clients in a restaurant or the shop assistant in a small wine shop; there is something here for everyone.

The main point of the fair is discovery. Discovery of new producers, new vintage releases, new wines/spirits and emerging regions. But there is also education; master-classes, debates, seminars. Over 35 countries and 20,000 wine and spirits will be represented.

All of these things and more make the London International Wine Festival a must attend event.

The UK produces just 1% of the wine it consumes. The LIWF is therefore a popular event for sellers from all over the world as they try to gain a foothold or further ground in the UK wine drinking market.

Visit the London International Wine Fair website for more information.

The event is free to attend but you must work within the wine trade.

Different Ways to Cool Wine

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 08:27:32 +0000

White wine is best serve chilled. In most homes the chilling is done in the fridge we use for storing our milk, cheese and chocolate. This works fine for most people but what if you are really into your wine and usually have more than a few bottles in stock? Or what if you travel a lot and never know if the hotel you will be staying at has a fridge in the room?

Below are a few options for cooling wine:

Wine Sleeves

Wine sleeves are stored in a freezer so they can be used any time you want to quickly cool a bottle of wine. Just take the sleeve out of the freezer, wrap it around your bottle and wait a little while. A typical wine cooling sleeve is big enough to wrap tightly around your average wine bottle and provides an excellent and affordable solution for cooling wine.

Wine Coolers

A wine cooler usually has a solid base unit and is not quite as flexible as a wine sleeve. The Vacu Vin wine cooler takes the wine sleeve principle and incorporates it into the cooler; you store the sleeve in the freezer and stuff it into the base unit when you want to use it. You then add your wine bottle and let the cooler do its job.

On the other hand, this Hostess wine cooler is powered by electricity. Plug it in, put the wine bottle into the base unit and wait for a couple of hours.

Wine Fridges

If you are really into your wine then you might consider buying a wine fridge. They are available in a range of different sizes with prices starting around the £100 mark for the smallest and most basic. The typical wine fridge is about the same size (or slightly smaller) than your average domestic fridge. Slim versions are also available, these fit nicely between cupboards in a fitted kitchen and store wine vertically; ideal for homes with limited space.

Wine fridges are not just used at home. Many small bars and eateries use a wine fridge to chill their wine, and contemporary designs are really sleek and stylish.

Wine Cellar

Most people don’t have the space for a wine cellar, but if you do they are an ideal place to store and cool wine. Wine cellars are usually known as passive or active. A passive wine cellar is not climate-controlled and is usually built underground to avoid temperature changes. An active wine cellar on the other hand is climate-controlled which keeps factors such as temperature and humidity at a consistent level.

A wine cellar built above ground is sometimes known as a wine room and a wine cellar with less than 500 bottles is sometimes known as a wine closet.

Which to Choose?

Budget, space and your level of interest determine which of these wine cooling methods is best for you.

Hostess HW01MA Single Bottle Wine Cooler

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 06:25:57 +0000

Hostess HW01MA Single Bottle Wine Cooler

This stylishly designed single bottle wine cooler is an ideal solution for cooling wine at home or in a hotel room that supplies tea and coffee facilities, but no fridge.

It has a cooling time of approximately two hours and is suitable for red wine, white wine or champagne bottles up to 9cm in diameter. It comes with an LED display and three temperature settings. A nice touch is the removable power cord so the cooler will look good on any table once the wine is chilled.

Price – £41.38 (subject to change)

Vacu Vin Rapid Ice Prestige Wine Cooler

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:53:25 +0000

Vacu Vin Rapid Ice Prestige Wine Cooler in Stainless Steel

If you want to quickly chill a bottle of wine and don’t have the space for a full-sized wine fridge, then this Vacu Vin Rapid Ice Prestige Wine Cooler could be the perfect solution for you.

It works in a very simple way; the wine is chilled by a super flexible ice jacket you store in the freezer. Whenever you need to chill a bottle of wine, take out the gel ice jacket and stuff it into the stylish metallic case, add your wine bottle to the mix and a little while later you have a chilled bottle of wine.

Price – £12.73 (subject to change)

Husky HN6 Slimline Reflections Wine Cooler

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 07:00:38 +0000

Husky HN6 Slimline Wine Cooler

Holding up to 12 bottles of wine at the perfect temperature and featuring a curved mirror-effect door, the Husky HN6 Slimline Reflections Wine Cooler is digitally controlled via a touch screen. With a height of just 640 mm, width of 250mm and depth of 510mm, the stylish 35-litre capacity cooler presents the bottles on five chrome-plated scalloped shelves.

Thermo-electrically powered, it can be adjusted to store the wine at any temperature between 8-18ºC, making it perfect for storing red, white or rose wine at the optimum temperature. A quiet operation, combined with a slimline cabinet, makes it ideal for use in any entertainment area in the house, while the subtle interior lighting and blue lit digital display adds ambience to any occasion.

Husky HN6 Slimline Wine Cooler

Summary of features

Curved mirror effect door
Compressor free thermoelectric technology
Blue LED digital temperature display
Holds 12 bottles
Auto defrost
Interior lighting
No compressor means no vibration in operation, therefore bottle sediment is not disturbed
Low noise
Dimensions (H x W x D) – 640mm x 250mm x 510mm
Weight 13.5kg
Temperature range 8°C – 18°C

Price – £125.34 (subject to change)

Baumatic BW18BL 18 Bottle Thermo Electric Drinks Cooler

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:59:48 +0000

The Baumatic 18 bottle thermo electric drinks cooler is a beautiful and sophisticated machine. It looks smart in any type of kitchen and does the job of cooling drinks superbly well.

It easily holds up to 18 standard size bottles of wine across five waved chrome shelves. The cooler is finished in black inside and out and has a reversible smoked glass door to the front.

An switch controlled internal light illuminates the interior and adjustable temperature guage allows to you store your wine at the temperature you prefer.

There is no fitted compressor so the machine is vibration free and operates very quietly.

Baumatic BW18BL 18 Bottle Thermo Electric Drinks Cooler

Summary of features

Gross capacity: 50 litres
Net capacity: 48 litres
Energy efficiency class: C
Noise level: 38 dB
Fan assisted operation
Thermo-electric ‘Peltier’ system
Quiet operation
No compressor (vibration free)
5 waved chrome shelves
Adjustable temperature
Internal light
Tempered door glass
Adjustable feet
Reversible door (only from serial number: 10300001)
Smoked door glass
Black door frame
Black interior and exterior

Dimensions of appliance**

Height: 645mm
Width: 355mm
Depth: 500mm

**When positioning, a small amount of additional space is required around the drinks cooler, see below.

Defrosting

Defrosting occurs automatically inside of the beverage centre during operation. The defrost water is collected by the evaporating tray and evaporates automatically.

The evaporating tray and defrost water drain hole should be cleaned periodically. This will prevent water from collecting in the bottom of the beverage centre, instead of flowing down the defrost drainage channel and drain hole.

You can also pour a small amount of water down the drain hole to clean inside of it.

You should be careful to make sure that bottles or cans do not touch the rear wall of the appliance, as this can interrupt the automatic defrosting process and deflect water into the base of your beverage centre.

Positioning

Positioning the appliance requires two people in order to avoid injuries or damage to the appliance.

Your appliance should not be located in direct sunlight or exposed to continuous heat or extremes of temperature (e.g. next to a radiator or boiler). If this is not feasible, then you should install an insulation plate between the appliance and the adjacent heat source.

You should check whether there is an electrical socket available, which will be accessible after your appliance is installed.

Place the appliance flatly and firmly on a solid base. The appliance is fitted with adjustable feet on the front side, which can be used to level the appliance.

**Anything positioned above the appliance must be at least 100mm away to allow sufficient cooling of the condenser. You must also allow a 100mm gap to the rear and a 50mm gap either side of the appliance.

Be sure to leave enough space for the opening of the door, to avoid damage to the appliance or personal injury.

IMPORTANT: The vent at the base of the appliance is for ventilation. Nothing should be placed in front of this vent; otherwise your beverage centre may not operate properly.

Price – £150 (subject to change)

Big Chill 50L Drinks Fridge

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 07:37:18 +0000

This Big Chill 50L Drinks Fridge is made by Ice Appliance Ltd and stores up to 16 bottles of wine and will fit in nicely to any modern kitchen or office space.

It keeps wine nicely chilled and ready for consumption during a great movie, a dinner party or a friendly social gathering.

Its compact size (48cm x 48cm) it an ideal wine fridge/drinks cooler for boats, caravans and holiday homes where it can also be used for storing milk, fizzy drinks or even dairy products such as cheese. Another advantage of being compact is that it can be easily moved from one location to another.

Big Chill 50L Drinks Fridge

Summary of features

Capacity: 50L / 16 wine bottles
Voltage/Frequency: 220/110V, 50/60Hz
Input power: 80w
Power consumption: 0.8kw h/24h
Cooling type: Compressor
Refrigerant: R134a/45g
Manual temperature control: 4-12ºC (can be manually adjusted)
Glass door with silver surround, black finish on top and sides
Gross/Net weight: 21/23kg
Product dimension: W 480mm x L 480mm (+60mm for handle) x H 470mm
Packing dimension: W 515mm x L 550mm x H 503mm
Certification: CE/ROHS/ETL

The weight of the Big Chill 50L Drinks Fridge is 23 kg.

Price : £149.99 (subject to change)

Alessi Wine Cooler

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 05:06:44 +0000

This Alessi stainless steel wine cooler, designed by Luigi Massoni and Carlo Mazzeri, was created originally for the hotel industry, but it is now available for the domestic market too.

The sleek design is typical Alessi. A beautiful item that looks great in any home.

Price : £71.60 (subject to change)

Screwpull Wine Cooler Sleeve (Burgundy)

Wed, 19 May 2010 04:20:06 +0000

A wine cooler sleeve is a cheaper alternative to a wine fridge like the Baumatic and is aimed at people who like to drink the odd bottle of wine straight from the shop.

This stylish insulating sleeve chills wine in just a few minutes and maintains it at an optimal temperature for several hours. Just store it in the freezer and place it on the bottle when needed to chill it to the desired temperature.

The tapered top and elastic sides give the wine or champagne bottle a snug fit to maximize the cooling process. The Wine Cooler Sleeve is perfect for any wine drinking occasion, picnics or outside events, it also makes a great gift.

Price £10.00 (subject to change)

How to use

When required take the cooler sleeve from the freezer, slip it over the bottle and the sleeve will chill your wine within minutes and keep it cold for hours. A wine temperature guide is included and will help you serve your wine just at the right temperature.

Screwpull Wine Cooler Sleeve

Summary of features

Fits most 75 cl bottles, including sparkling wine bottles
Tapered top maximises bottle contact
Elastic sides provide a snug fit
Large cooling area for rapid cooling
Cools wine and keeps it cooler for longer

Price £10.00 (subject to change)

Also available in different colours.