Blog

Jason Millar’s investor’s guide to Italian wines

The last few years haven’t been much fun for wine investors, but the market is stabilising and Italy has been the one region that held its ground even as everything else slipped. Over a decade, Italian fine wine is up roughly 60% compared with Bordeaux’s 15–20%.

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The Legacy of Paris

I was at a dinner in London at which the host, a serious Bordeaux and Burgundy collector, went ‘off-piste’ and served a trio of magnificent Californian reds.

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Collecting English Fizz

A few years ago, I asked a bunch (now there’s an appropriate collective noun) of English winemakers and producers what it would take for the UK wine industry to get to the next level. All gave the same answer but Brad Greatrix, of Nyetimber, expressed it most succinctly. “Collectors need…

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All I want from Santa is …..

What 12 industry professionals hope will be under their tree on Christmas morning

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Malbec Man

There are those who entrust their cases of Domaine Romanée-Conti or Pétrus to Octavian for safe keeping (and who wouldn’t?). They might have strong opinions on en primeur sales, vintage variation and when to drink (or sell) the stuff. And then there is the rest of us, for whom wine…

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Whisky’s First Growths

“Scotch has long had a bit of a crush on Bordeaux and we keep borrowing Bordeaux’s language to promote it,” said Isabel Graham-Yooll founder of whisky consultancy Wisgy. I was surprised therefore that nobody has produced a ranking of the ‘first growths’ of distilleries in imitation of the famous 1855…

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Cellars I have known

Wine sales are falling. Indeed, consumption of all alcohol is plummeting as Gen Z fails to pull its weight. Sad but true: one fifth of the population doesn’t drink. Dear oh dear.

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Octavian Hosts The Spectator wine Club

Octavian, the West Country company that, for the past 30 years, has set the standard for fine wine storage, recently held a unique cellar tour, tasting and ‘bring your own bottle’ lunch for eight intrepid Spectator readers, hosted by the magazine’s drinks editor, Jonathan Ray, Master of Wine, Sarah Abbot…

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Chateau Musar

In the first in Octavian’s series on collectable wines, Michael Karam tells how Serge Hochar created Chateau Musar’s cult following

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Young Collectors

Michael Karam tells us that younger and more demanding collectors are shaping the future of the fine wine market and how Octavian, the leading storage company, is wooing them

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Peace of Mind

For wine lovers with large collections, storage is often an afterthought. This is understandable. The intrinsic quality of the wines themselves, the provenance, the experience – and yes, sometimes the display – all of these are considered fundamental to their enjoyment of their wine. And rightly so – they are…

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The benefits of good quality storage

Most readers of this blog would agree that, broadly speaking, in life you get what you pay for. Of course, there are occasions when you might be surprised by a genuine bargain, but as a rule of thumb, paying two-star rates and expecting five-star service is the definition either of…

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More Than Storage

There was a time when professionally storing your wine meant entrusting your bottles to a solid chap in a pair of corduroy trousers somewhere in St James’s after a handshake and good lunch. Would they be cellared properly? Probably. Were they insured? Possibly. But, could you track demand for a…

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Protecting Your Wine Collection: Avoid These Costly Storage Mistakes

Fine wine is a legacy, an asset, and a passion. But without the right protection, its value, provenance, and quality can be lost. At Octavian, we are more than just a storage provider. We are custodians of the world’s most precious wine collections. We don’t just store your wine; we…

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Golden Vines Weekend 2024

The Golden Vines Weekend 2024 brought together fine wine collectors, connoisseurs, and industry leaders in a grand celebration of wine and philanthropy. Held in Madrid, the weekend aimed to raise vital funds for the Gérard Basset Foundation, an organisation dedicated to creating a more diverse and inclusive future in the…

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Carved in stone: the unique history of Octavian Vaults

Our home, locally known as Eastlays Mine, has a fascinating history from its origins in stone quarrying to its contemporary use in fine wine storage.

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Thoughts from the vaults: cellaring resolutions

One allure of fine wine is its lifeline. Many of the bottles in Octavian’s vaults have been with us for decades, acquiring depth, nuance and value. No wonder that these wines are opened to celebrate precious milestones.   Such transcendent wine experiences are created through diligence and are threatened by…

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Thoughts from the vaults: December 2023

Rare bottles hold stories as well as wine. The world at large has been fascinated by tales of long-lost wines and spirits recovered from shipwrecks or found in a forgotten corner of a cellar. One of the most famous (and cringe-inducing) is that of a 1787 Château Margaux alleged to…

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