The thirteenth edition of the Liv-ex Power 100 – the annual list of the most powerful brands in the fine wine market – was published in the December’s issue of The Drinks Business.
Although only the top 100 wines feature in our annual report, 248 brands met the criteria needed to be ranked, representing 26% of the brands trading on Liv-ex in 2018.*
While the Power 100 remains predominantly a French affair, looking outside the rankings shows that brands from other parts of the world are gradually making their way up. Indeed, there are interesting themes to note, which reflect the continuous broadening of the market.
Rest of the World
While only Penfolds (Australia) and Vega Sicilia (Spain) made it into the final rankings, fifteen brands from the Rest of the World qualified, with wines from Chile, Alsace and Portugal. Trimbach, which ranked 202nd in last year’s list, rose to 168th place. Two Port representatives, Warre and Graham, made their first appearance, occupying 244th and 248th place respectively. Our newly-launched Port 50 index tracks their price movements.
Moreover, this year’s rankings proved that activity for Australia is not limited to one brand. As we previously noted, Australia’s Two Hands has risen impressive 95 places, and falls just outside the rankings, at 113th place. Torbeck (107th) and Clarendon Hills (134th) have also had a good year, while strong price performance for Glaetzer pushed it up by 15 places.
All about the bubbles
Seventeen Champagnes qualified this year; seven made it into the top 100, with two new entrants – Pol Roger and Perrier Jouet. Some famous brands fell: Taittinger, which ranked 85th last year, was 104th this year due to low price performance and volume traded, and Philipponnat, Ruinart and Deutz also dropped down the rankings. Others improved: Vilmart, Gosset and Veuve Clicquot debuted, while Charles Heidsieck, Billecart Salmon and Cedric Bouchard were among the Power 100 risers.
Champagne has established itself as a key secondary market player in recent years. To find out more about the development and the trends in the Champagne market, click here.
Bordeaux
Out of the 248 brands, nearly 100 Bordeaux labels qualified for inclusion in the list. There were 19 new entrants, none of which ended up in the top 100. Carmes Haut Brion jumped 57 places, yielding an average price increase of 34%. It is the best Bordeaux label in terms of price performance but was largely held back due to low volume traded. It remained outside the rankings, at 105th place. While value and volume trading have been an obstacle for the movement of some brands, Bordeaux continues to dominate the fine wine market, with strong, high-quality wines in healthy volumes.
*To be classified a brand must have traded a minimum of three wines or vintages and a total trade value of at least £10,000.
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