Table of contents for May 2020 in Decanter

Andrew Jefford ‘Appreciative tasters listen to the wine, the better to understand such pleasure’ Life has been pouring wine over me in the last month or so, with an unusually intense cluster of blind-tasting events, including annotating nearly 500 wines in a single week. I’m not bragging (500 is too many for comfort) nor asking for sympathy (though it does melt the brain, pickle the tongue and stain the teeth). It led me to reflect, as I recovered over calming cups of green tea, on the process itself, what tasters are trying to achieve, and what the readers of tasting notes might actually want. There are two types of tasting, first of all: analytical and appreciative. Analytical tasting is what a blender might spend her or his days doing: racing…

New generation YOUNG GUNS OF ITALY The next generation of Italian winemakers are taking up the mantle of their predecessors, but also want to carve new paths. Michaela Morris highlights a dozen young individualists whose innovation, energy and commitment are leading their country’s wines into the future Mmuch deference is paid in Italy, justifiably, to the matriarchs and patriarchs who broke the mould and have long been crafting quality wine. Yet the wine scene is far from static here. Established estates evolve as the next generation takes over, and new trailblazing wineries are constantly popping up, too. Italy currently boasts an abundant crop of dynamic young wine personalities. The faces on these pages are among the country’s brightest, and are representative of many more. They range in age from 30…

Howard’s pick: 12 top Aglianicos 1 Mastroberardino, Radici, Taurasi, Campania 2015 96 £36.95 Vintriloquy A benchmark for Aglianico, Radici was first produced in 1986. A wine to age for decades, yet surprisingly approachable now. Great density with concentration and depth. Aged two years in oak and two in bottle, this has intense, pure fruit allied to subtle oak, fine tannins and elegance. Some smoky, mineral flavours starting to appear. Ultra-refined. A wine with real sense of place. Drink 2023-2050 Alcohol 13.5% Elena Fucci, Titolo 20th Anniversary, Aglianico del Vulture, Basilicata 2017 96 £35 Lay & Wheeler, Millésima This anniversary edition adds even more concentration and structure to the ‘standard’ Titolo. From a single parcel of 75-year-old vines, the nose is intriguing with a potpourri of dried leaves and a complex…

A taste of Sardinia: Hulme’s Sulcis top 12 1 Agricola Punica, Samas, Isola dei Nuraghi 2019 93 £14.95-£16.28 (2018) Armit, Field & Fawcett, Hic Wonderful wildflower bouquet with peachy and grapey notes. Vivacious, bright, tingling and full of flavour. Young and delicious, it dances on the palate. One of the best Vermentino blends I’ve tried. Drink 2020-2024 Alcohol 13% 2 Cantina Mesa, Buio Buio Riserva, Carignano del Sulcis 2016 95 £27.50-£28.52 Exel, GP Brands, Vinvm, Wine Direct This is a wonderfully expressive, vibrant wine with notes of cream, cassis and sweet spice. Dark, intense flavours of very ripe blackberry with a rich, velvety texture, full and concentrated but lively too. Super-refined tannins with a long, lingering finish. Drink 2020-2028 Alc 14% 3 Enrico Esu, SeRuci, Carignano del Sulcis 2016 95…

Panel tasting CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA & GRAN SELEZIONE 2015 & 2016 In Tuscany’s Sangiovese heartland, in one of the world’s most celebrated wine regions, what is it that distinguishes its two highest-quality categories from the rest? Monty Waldin explains A Although Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione represents a mere (but rising) 6% of total production in Tuscany’s Chianti Classico region, its worth and even its very existence are under scrutiny and still a source of debate. Plenty of notable voices, more in the wine media than the trade, see its creation from early 2014 as a needless additional ‘top’ tier, an extra layer of complication when wine in general and Italian wine in particular is complicated enough as it is. Compared to Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva, Gran Selezione wines have…

THE JUDGES Aldo Fiordelli A certified sommelier since 2003, Fiordelli is a widely published Italian journalist, wine writer and author, and a DWWA judge. On the editorial board of L’Espresso restaurant and wine guide, he also writes for Civiltà del Bere, Italy’s oldest Italian wine magazine. He bacame a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne in 2017. Andrew Jefford Jefford has been writing about wine since the 1980s, authoring numerous books and winning many awards. He is a contributing editor to Decanter magazine, and is one of three Co-Chairs overseeing judging at the Decanter World Wine Awards. He lives with his family near Montpellier in France. Monty Waldin Waldin is a widely published and awarded wine writer, author, broadcaster and consultant with a particular interest in biodynamic, organic and…

Panel tasting THE VERDICT The top wines here demonstrated why this category is enjoying huge popularity, but our judges felt that consumer appeal didn’t always translate to personality or balance, says James Button There were some wines in this line-up of 93 that earned high individual scores from our judges, suggesting that there is plenty of potential for Veneto’s ripasso and ripasso-style red wines. However, Michael Garner kicked off the discussion afterwards by asking: ‘What is the real identity that ripasso has? There is a lot of variation, and a lot of confusion as to what constitutes a classic ripasso.’ Andrew Jefford added: ‘It’s rather strange to have a whole wine category which is based on production methods and not any kind of zoning of origin, and where estates are…

Decenter WINE LEGENDS ORNELLAIA 2001 Bolgheri Superiore, Tuscany, Italy A legend because… Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, the most admired SuperTuscan wine was Sassicaia, from grapes grown in Bolgheri near the Tuscan coast. Other producers were quick to copy the trend. Piero Antinori launched Tignanello and Solaia, and in 1982 his brother Lodovico planted his own estate, Ornellaia, in Bolgheri, with Michel Rolland as consultant. Ornellaia differs from Sassicaia in that it contains a significant amount of Merlot, which gives it an opulence contrasting with the more reticent Sassicaia. It is also aged in a greater proportion of new oak. Lodovico Antinori’s ebullient personality helped to promote the wine, establishing its reputation. The winery releases small quantities of outstanding back-vintages, labelled Archivio Storico; the 2001 is one of them.…

Letter of the month The pain of mark-ups I have a budget of £50-£60 when buying restaurant wine. Disappointingly, I know that if I bought the same wine from a retailer it would probably cost around £10-£15. A recent trip to a Michelin-starred Lake District restaurant brought home to me, yet again, the inflated price of restaurant wine. Rather than choose the taster menu wine pairing, I followed Steven Spurrier’s mantra, ‘drink for mood, not for food’, and opted for what turned out to be a very mediocre 2013 Tasmanian Pinot Noir, at £75; at this price, who wouldn’t expect better! Now before all you restaurant proprietors start screaming about profit margins, staff wages, building a cellar and so on, juxtapose my comments above with my…

Jane Anson ‘All of a sudden, the Bordeaux merchants and château owners are nervous’ Photograph: John O’Brien A column I wrote back in June 2016 said that Bordeaux felt like a good place to be after the Brexit vote, because the region’s 900 years of shared history with England somehow cushioned the blow a little. It feels less comfortable now, with all the noises coming from the UK government suggesting that trade really is going to get significantly more difficult between Britain and Europe as of January 2021. All of a sudden none of this is theoretical, and the Bordeaux merchants and château owners, who for the past three years have been pretty confident that economic sense will win out, are nervous. You can’t blame them. They have already had…

18 top-value Italian reds ITALIAN REDS: PICK OF THE HIGH STREET Stick to the safe names, or take a chance on a region you’re not familiar with? We asked UK retailers to submit their best Italian reds priced at £12-£20, and Amy Wislocki and James Button put them to the test, here revealing their top 18 wines to try A hunt for the best Italian red wines between £12 and £20 available in UK high-street chains and supermarkets resulted in entrants spanning 10 different regions, showcasing the diversity available to consumers in 2020. It certainly made for a varied tasting, both in terms of the appellations represented – and in terms of quality. Italy’s strength-in-depth and huge volume capability makes it a very important component of any retailer’s range and…

Pick of the Pignolettos: top 12 to try Wines were tasted independently by both Carla Capalbo and Sally Easton MW 1 Orsi Vigneto San Vito, Sui Lieviti Pignoletto Frizzante Brut, Colli Bolognesi 2014 95 £22 (2017) Noble Fine Liquor, Tutto Wines Reverting to the rifermentato technique used by his grandfather, Federico Orsi produces this wine with a second fermentation in bottle. Without disgorgement, the indigenous-yeast lees provide protection from oxidation. At the time of tasting, the wine had spent four years on the lees, giving it sweet-pastry aromas and a dry, creamy palate with plush peachy fruits and yeasty spiciness. Organic. Tasted by Sally Easton MW Drink 2020-2024 Alcohol 12.5% 2 Tenuta Santacroce, Metodo Famigliare Sur Lie Pignoletto Frizzante Brut, Colli Bolognesi NV 92 N/A UK www.tenutasantacroce.it This is an…

SULCIS AT A GLANCE Carignano del Sulcis DOC Established in June 1977. Includes the islands of Sant’Antioco and San Pietro Area planted 314ha Production 19,900hl Grape yields Maximum 53.8hl/ha Grapes for red wines 85% Carignano, 15% other black varieties; must be air-dried for passito Minimum alcohol levels and ageing Rosato 11.5%; Novello 11.5%; Rosso 12%, 40 days in bottle; Riserva 12.5%, two years including six months in bottle; Superiore 13%, two years including six months in bottle; Passito 14%, six months including three months in bottle Other native varieties White Vermentino, Nuragus, Nasco; Red Monica Source: www.italianwinecentral.com, 2017…

Rosato YOU SAY ROSE, I SAY ROSATO... It’s never too soon in the year to drink pink – increasingly a year-round choice for many. Richard Baudains reveals Italy’s top rosato regions and selects his 16 top wines to try Photograph: Mark Swallow/Getty Rosati are an often underexplored route in to the intriguing diversity of Italy’s terroirs, grape varieties and winemaking traditions. This wine is an Italian speciality that has its own icons and hidden gems and, despite the common association with picnics and light summer sipping, can offer a much wider range of drinking options and often surprising stucture and ageability. Rosato is the direct equivalent of the French ‘rosé’. It is the term that most commonly appears in the wine names of the country’s DOCs, but it is by…

CHIANTI CLASSICO: KNOW YOUR VINTAGES 2018 Cool, drizzly season. Grapes battled for light, heat, hydration. Extended, grinding harvest. Mainly short-haul wines. 2017 Spring frost nipped the buds. Dry weather then shrivelled what grapes remained. Yields 27% down compared to the average, but reasonably balanced wines. Drink 2020-2023. 2016 Summer sometimes scorching. Cooler spells and pre-harvest rain crucial. Some brilliant, vibrant, sleek, 100%-Sangiovese gems. Wines with even 5% Merlot noticeably weedier. Drink 2020-2030. 2015 Large crop. Some very hot days, cool nights. Those who avoided roasted grapes made rich, round wines. Long-haul potential. Drink 2020-2035. 2014 Cool, goose-bump vintage. Cloudy skies. Tightrope viticulture. Umbrellas ubiquitous. Dusty wines indicate compromised fruit. The best show unassuming, crunchy fluidity. Drink. 2013 Vines were sleepy in spring, sunbathed all summer, then kept their cool into…

THE JUDGES Aldo Fiordelli A certified sommelier since 2003, Fiordelli is a widely published Italian journalist, wine writer and author, and a DWWA judge. On the editorial board of L’Espresso restaurant and wine guide, he  also writes for Civiltà del Bere, Italy’s oldest Italian wine magazine. He bacame a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne in 2017. Michael Garner Garner has worked in the wine business for 40 years, mostly specialising in the wines of Italy. He is co-owner of Italian wine specialist Tria Wines, and is a DWWA Regional Chair for northern Italy. Garner is author of Amarone and the Fine Wines of Verona, and co-author of Barolo: Tar and Roses. Andrew Jefford Jefford has been writing about wine since the 1980s, authoring numerous books and winning many…

Tuscany PUCCINI’S TUSCANY: a wine lover’s guide Perhaps the greatest of the operatic composer’s many love affairs was the one he had with his home region of Tuscany – and its wine and cuisine. Follow in his footsteps for a charming long-weekend getaway among vines and history, says Adrian Mourby Photograph: Stuart Black/Robert Harding The Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) was proud that he came not just from Tuscany, but from Lucca – and that all the houses he owned were entirely on Lucchese territory. This northwest corner of Tuscany, with its dramatic mountains, Art Deco beach resorts and ancient walled cities, is an affluent wine-producing area. Puccini himself would have drunk early vintages of many of the wines still bottled here today. The most romantic opera composer of his…

Your Lucca & Pisa address book ACCOMMODATION Grand Hotel Duomo, Pisa Not the most beautiful hotel in Pisa, but there are superb views of the Piazza dei Miracoli from its roof terrace, and its proximity makes it perfect for a daybreak stroll around the cathedral and leaning tower. www.grand-hotel-duomo. pisa-hotels.com Hotel Ilaria, Lucca A modern hotel within the old city walls of Lucca, with parking and free-pour Prosecco offered at breakfast as well as cocktail hour. B&B only, but free bicycle hire. www.hotelilaria.com Villa Baldaccini, Lucca In the foothills above Lucca, this historic villa has been converted into a luxury self-catering holiday home that sleeps 12. Extensive grounds include a swimming pool. +39 0583 40 64 65 Villa Saletta, Pisa There are three historic villas with swimming pools on this…

TASTING NOTES DECODED Smoky Written by Laura Seal Smoky notes in wine generally come from oak treatment. Normally the intensity of smoky aromas and flavours will be determined by the toast of the barrel (the degree to which it was charred inside), how many times a barrel is used and how long the wine spends in it. If heavy-toast new barrels are used, then the likelihood of smoky notes will increase. Smoke taint would be a separate and problematic issue, caused if wildfires occur near a vineyard between grapes ripening and harvest time – a recent difficulty for winemakers in California, Canada’s Okanagan Valley and throughout Australia. You’ll find ‘smoky’ in the tasting notes for several wines in this issue’s Chianti Classico panel tasting (see p85), for example the Tenuta…

In brief Stay up to date with the latest wine news on Decanter.com, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter @Decanter ■ As Decanter went to press, we learned of the death of Michael Broadbent, aged 92. One of the wine world’s most famous names, Michael was a long-time friend of Decanter, and author of our longest-running column, with 433 published over five decades. Multi-award winning author, he also founded and headed up the Christie’s Wine Department. Full obituary and tributes to follow next month. ■ Hemp-infused wine producer Sovereign Vines has announced that it will close due to intervention from US regulators. It stated that, ‘regardless of the fact our wine has no cannabinoids’, federal officials refused to accept its New York State permit to produce the wine. The…

Farewell column Steven Spurrier ‘Over the years Decanter has been like a family to me’ Chapter 7 in my memoirs, Wine – a Way of Life, carries the title ‘Bonjour Paris’ and Chapter 12, set 19 years later, is titled ‘Au Revoir Paris’. My commercial life in Paris had been very up in the 1970s and progressively down in the ’80s, so, returning in straitened circumstances to London in 1990 to look for employment in a city from which I had essentially been absent for two decades, Chapter 13 is inevitably titled ‘The Road Back’– the shortest in the book, followed by ‘Life with Decanter’, which is the longest. I knew Decanter well as a magazine. The first edition in June 1975 for the modest price of 40p had a…

Weekday wines Looking to try something different or adventurous, but don’t want to make an expensive mistake? The Decanter team has done the hard work for you, picking out 25 exciting and accessible wines available in the UK priced at £25 or less Recommended by: James Button, Tina Gellie, Georgie Hindle, Julie Sheppard and Amy Wislocki Dopff au Moulin, Cuvée Julien Brut, Crémant d’Alsace, France NV 89 £13.95-£20 Widely available A 50/50 blend of Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois, this traditional-method fizz spends at least 24 months on lees. Fresh and floral with hints of pear. Dopff au Moulin pioneered Crémant d’Alsace in the early 20th century, and has it down to a fine art. AW Alcohol 12% Walnut Block, Nutcracker Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand 2019 92 O £13.99 Vintage…

Aglianico AGLIANICO: THE NEBBIOLO OF THE SOUTH? At its best, this traditional grape variety from Italy’s torrid southern territory makes top-quality and long-lived reds. Andy Howard MW explores the character of Aglianico, selecting the best producers and his top 12 wines The future for Aglianico looks promising. This ancient grape is the signature red variety in the rugged, beautiful regions of Campania and Basilicata, and wine quality is on a steep upward trajectory. It should be on every wine lover’s radar. Aglianico is sometimes called the ‘Nebbiolo of the south’, but this really doesn’t do the grape justice. Like Nebbiolo, wines made from Aglianico have inherent quality and a remarkable ability to age, with many examples showing alluring floral aromatics when young, and developing spice and herbal nuances with time…

Bolgheri Superiore 2016: Baudains’ top 10 1 Tenuta San Guido, Sassicaia 99 £200 (ib)-£391.67 Christopher Keiller, City Wine Collection, Cru, Davy’s, Fine & Rare, Four Walls, Handford, Latimer Vintners, Lea & Sandeman, Millésima, Nemo Wine Cellars, Private Cellar, The Holland Park Wine Co A vintage for the annals of San Guido estate. Extraordinary complexity and definition of fruit and Mediterranean garrigue on the nose and palate, with a breathtaking combination of depth and finesse, infinite length and purity on the finish. Exquisite. Drink 2021-2036 Alcohol 14% 2 I Luoghi, Campo Al Fico 97 £51.13 (ib) Vinum Fine Wines A lovely ruby-garnet shade, dark plummy fruit, violets, aniseed, lavender, a whiff of truffle, a hint of tea leaf and lots more. Fresh attack, round, deep; long grippy finish with the classic…

Pick of the Pignolettos: top 12 to try (cont...) Wines were tasted independently by both Carla Capalbo and Sally Easton MW Il Monticino, Frizzante del Monticino Pignoletto Brut, Colli Bolognesi NV 89 N/A UK www.ilmonticino.it From a 2.5ha Morandi family vineyard at 200m-250m in the hills close to Bologna. Made in the Charmat-Martinotti method, with about 40 days on lees. The nose has green apple, pear, peach, even a hint of tropical melon, reflected on the palate with spiky-fresh yet soft lemon-sorbet frothiness. SE Drink 2020-2021 Alc 12% Villa Cialdini, Pignoletto Millesimato Brut 2018 89 £14.99-£16.30 Alexander Hadleigh, Exel, Hangingditch, Harrogate Fine Wine Co, Liberty Wines, The Wine Reserve Another from Chiarli vineyards, made by Franco De Biasio. Lively apple and citrus aromas are followed by a full palate with…

Italian rosé: Baudains’ top 16 1 Valentini, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, Abruzzo 2018 96 £95 The Solent Cellar Very pale coral. Initially closed and leafy on the nose, opening to delicate but very precise blackberry, plum and rose petal. Broad and deep on the palate, with texture, length and great personality. Drink 2020-2026 Alcohol 14% 2 Conte Spagnoletti Zeuli, Colombaio Bombino Nero, Castel del Monte, Puglia 2018 95 N/A UK www.contespagnolettizeuli.it Delicious red fruit on the nose, with hints of sweet herbs in the background. Beautifully poised on the palate. Light but intense, with firm structure and a long, tangy finish. Great purity of expression. Drink 2020-2022 Alc 12.5% De Fermo, Le Cince, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, Abruzzo 2018 95 £22 Tannico A lovely pale cherry shade, with a complex, slightly uplifted nose that…

Fiordelli’s pick: Italian whites to age Valentini, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Abruzzo 2015 98 £69.75-£125 Cru, Crump Richmond Shaw, Les Caves de Pyrene, My Wine Cellar, Seckford, The Solent Cellar, VinQuinn, Wineye 2015 was cool and rainy in spring, warm and dry in July and August; the harvest was then postponed. The wine has its typical reductive character with a prickle of CO2 at the beginning, then focused lime notes, hints of flowers, yet the typical salty, mineral palate. It will last for decades, developing its moving complexity. Drink 2025-2040 Alcohol 12.3% Cantina Terlano, Terlaner I Grande Cuvée, Alto Adige Terlano 2016 97 £179.25 Astrum Wine Cellars, Chelsea Vintners, Field & Fawcett, Handford, Harrogate Fine Wine Co, Hedonism 75% Pinot Bianco with Chardonnay and just 2% of Sauvignon Blanc. Focused on candied…

Panel tasting THE VERDICT This line-up of top-tier Chianti Classico from 2015 and 2016 impressed our judges, who praised the freshness and accessbility of the wines despite the warm vintages. Amy Wislocki reports Two very warm vintages, and an expectation that 2016 would be the better performer of the two. And indeed, the results seem to bear this out. All four Outstanding wines are from 2016, and the lion’s share of the Highly Recommended wines. ‘It’s better, and more consistent,’ observed Aldo Fiordelli, with Monty Waldin agreeing: ‘2016 is a better vintage than 2015 for two reasons. Firstly, because it was actually a better vintage. And secondly, because people learned from the mistakes they had made in 2015 and corrected them in 2016. So it’s a double-whammy of goodness, if…

VALPOLICELLA: KNOW YOUR VINTAGES 2019 Variable, but highly promising wines from well-exposed hillside sites. Early signs suggest the best wines have great balance. ★★★★ (for now) 2018 A cooler vintage giving a spicy, fresh fruit style with good acidity. Needs two to three years. ★★★★ 2017 A warm vintage of limited quantities. The wines are maturing well and can be drunk now. ★★★ 2016 A cooler year that produced wines of great balance and style. Drink now or keep for two to three years. ★★★ 2015 A hot year producing ripe and forward wines. Drinking well now. ★★★★ 2014 A cool, wet year. Drink up! ★★…

Expert’s choice VERDICCHIO The Marche region nestles on Italy’s central Adriatic coast, and its Verdicchio wines offer some of the country’s best value for quality dry whites. Michael Garner picks his current favourites Since the idea of fine Italian white wine first took hold in the 1970s and ’80s, Verdicchio is a variety that has gone from strength to strength. In 1980, Burton Anderson claimed in his book Vino, ‘…the standard here may be as high as for any popular white wine in Italy at the moment’. Nearly four decades later, Ian D’Agata maintained in his Native Wine Grapes of Italy (University of California Press, 2014) that ‘Verdicchio is arguably Italy’s greatest native white grape variety’. It is highly versatile, making very creditable passito and sparkling wines thanks to naturally…

My perfect day in Puccini’s Tuscany Photographs: Luca Da Ros/4Corners; Trevor Neal/Alamy; www.ristorantegiglio.com MORNING Start your day in Lucca, walking, jogging or cycling the unbroken 4.2km of the city’s 17th-century walls. There is lots to see in Puccini’s city. Visit his birthplace (www.puccinimuseum.org), the architecturally impressive cathedral where he learned to play the organ or the restored Roman amphitheatre. LUNCH & AFTERNOON Drive up through the vineyards of Colline Lucchesi to Celle in the Apuan Alps to see the old family home, where the young Puccini spent his summer holidays. Along the way, call in at Tenuta di Valgiano (see p116), an estate that converted to organic farming in 1997 and produces a widely exported Rosso. At Museo Pucciniano di Celle (www. lucchesinelmondo.it), the house is full of Puccini artefacts…

Readers’ queries Notes & Queries Time up for 2014? Last May, I opened a bottle of Château Fontbonne, Cuvée Marie Bordeaux Supérieur 2014. It was rich, luscious and very much enjoyed. Two bottles of the same opened this January were harsh and astringent – after a few days in a decanter it became drinkable, but still quite tough. Is this an example of a red ‘closing up’? I had a similar experience with a Haut-Médoc 2014. Andrew Walker, Didcot Jane Anson replies: In general, the bigger and more long-living the vintage, the more it is likely to close up. A wine will normally follow a path of a few years of being open and fruit-focused, then the closed-up period will last between two to ten years,…

California 2018s bring in the bids at Napa futures auction Special-edition wines from this year’s Premiere Napa Valley auction have been made available for pre-order, before their official release in autumn 2020. The Premiere 2020 auction fetched $3.9m and saw 201 ‘one-of-a-kind’ wine lots sold to trade buyers, said trade body Napa Valley Vintners (NVV). All but 10% of the wines were from the 2018 vintage, with Cabernet Sauvignon featuring strongly. Top lot was a 60-bottle cache of Rudd Estate, Leslie’s Block, Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, which fetched $120,000. Interested collectors can place their pre-orders directly with merchants by visiting www.premierenapavalley.com, NVV said.…

Decanter fine wine price watch Below are the most recent merchant case prices (equivalent 12 x 750ml bottles) for wines that are actively traded among a global network of merchants on Liv-ex, the fine wine market. Liv-ex records transactions between its merchant members in the UK, US, Asia and Europe. All prices are in GBP and exclude sales tax. The numbers in green indicate those prices which have increased since last month, whilst the numbers in red have decreased. THE LIV-EX 100 INDEX Index level at end of February 2020 The Liv-ex Fine Wine 100 Index represents the price movement of 100 of the most sought-after fine wines for which there is a strong secondary market and is calculated monthly. The majority of the index consists of Bordeaux wines –…