The fourteenth 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. Armand Rousseau topped the rankings becoming the best-performing wine label of 2019.
The list of the top 100 wines was once again dominated by France, with 42 wines from Bordeaux, 34 from Burgundy, seven from Champagne and four from the Rhone. But looking at the total 288 brands that met the criteria (representing 11% of the brands trading on Liv-ex in 2019), the market’s diverse nature becomes apparent.
Today we take a look at a selection of less familiar names in the secondary market that have qualified for the overall rankings for the first time in 2019.
First up is the Argentinian, Catena Zapata at 238th place. Two years ago Catena Zapata announced that two of its flagship wines, Nicolas Catena Zapata and Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae Malbec, would be sold through La Place de Bordeaux. The winery prides itself on its sustainability practices, a theme certain to be at the heart of the wine industry in the decade ahead. It has led the way in Argentina’s viticulture and its top wines are now finding their way in the market.
The end of the decade was successful for Keller, the Rheinhessen winery with a cultish following. Keller, considered a German Erste Lage (First Growth), made it into the 2nd tier of the Liv-ex Classification 2019 based solely on price. The label also met the Power 100 criteria for the first time, jumping straight to 149th place. Although Germany’s market share by value remains minute, the growing attention from the trade and the critics’ recognition of the diversity of its wines hint at a promising future.
(Liv-ex will be at ProWein 2020 – if you are planning on attending and would like to meet please do let us know).
Sena, the Chilean wine produced by Mondawi and Chadwick and sold through La Place, came 235th in this year’s rankings. The last five vintages have been highly praised by critics. The latest 2017 vintage was released in September 2019 and achieved 99 points from James Suckling, who praised its “harmony and balance”.
The Spanish Lopez Heredia also featured for the first time (227th place). The winery, founded in 1877 by Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, had a clear vision from the start: “to sell wine to those who owned cars, wore ties, spoke English and were connected to the Royal Household”. With increased trading on the secondary market, rising prices, and a firm place in this year’s Power rankings, Landeta’s expectations would seem to have been exceeded!
