Founded in 2016, Brunswick Fine Wines & Spirits trade wines from all major European regions with a focus on Bordeaux, Burgundy and Piedmont. The business is run by a team of four and is based in Brighton. We spoke to founders Jamie Graham and Carlos De Haan to find out why they joined Liv-ex two years ago.
”Liv-ex is a 'one-stop shop'
Jamie GrahamFounder - Brunswick Fine Wines
Trading
For Brunswick, a key benefit of Liv-ex is the ability to manage the whole lifecycle of a trade in one place.
Graham explained: “The ability to access investment-grade wines in one place saves us an enormous amount of time on cash collection and logistics. As a small team, we don’t have a logistics team or a full-time accountant so this is extremely helpful. Liv-ex is a one stop shop.”
De Haan added that all of this is particularly easy because “the service from the team is excellent”. Having a knowledgeable Account Manager, able to spot trading opportunities, and a dedicated logistics contact to ensure that trades happen smoothly is “absolutely essential”.
Storage
A key advantage is that Brunswick also stores wine in the Liv-ex warehouse, which they describe as “the market leader”. “We wouldn’t get the same level of service with other bonded warehouses”, says De Haan.
Data
According to Graham, “Liv-ex is miles ahead of any other fine wine data source in terms of accuracy and breadth”. They use this data to help inform trading decisions and provide client valuations.
”"Liv-ex is miles ahead of any other fine wine data source in terms of accuracy and breadth"
Jamie GrahamFounder - Brunswick Fine Wines
LWIN - the universal identifier for wine
“We’ve built our own systems around LWIN”
Brunswick’s internal systems have been built using LWIN, Liv-ex’s unique identifiers that standardise the names of fine wines. This ensures that all systems and processes exchange information automatically and accurately.
Trading - with transparency and clarity
“Complete confidence”
Only fine wine professionals – not private collectors – are permitted to become members of Liv-ex. According to Graham, this means that “Liv-ex is not competition”. He added: “Liv-ex’s commitment to the trade allows us to deal with you in complete confidence”.
“This, the efficient systems and the great customer service are the three main benefits of Liv-ex for us”.