The Drinks Business and Liv-ex have published the 2011 edition of the Liv-ex Power 100 – our annual list of the most "powerful" brands in the fine wine marketplace.
2011 key findings:
- Lafite Rothschild continues to hold the reins, although demand for the First Growths is softening and the brand is loosening its grip on the market.
- Lower-ranking Crus Classes that represent value for money are among the most ambitious climbers this year. These include Second Growths such as Pichon Baron (+47 places), Leoville Poyferre (+23 places) and Pichon Lalande (+20 places).
- Broadening market interest has been a boon to Domaine Romanee Conti, which is developing a strong following in Asia. Prices have soared in recent months. But due to its tiny production, DRC's share of total trade remains relatively modest.
Each brand is ranked on five criteria: the level of trade it attracts on the Liv-ex Fine Wine Exchange; its average score from Robert Parker; average price; one-year price performance; and weighted production (price multiplied by average production). The brands are then ranked on their aggregate score across these five criteria. Below is the data on the top 100 wines.
Our media partner for this research, The Drinks Business, has published an analysis of the results in the December issue. You can download the article here (including the full rankings and methodology).
Identifying value
Although Lafite and its peers have not surrendered the top spots this year, traders are increasingly shying away from the Firsts and opting instead for Bordeaux brands that offer value for money. With this in mind, we thought it would be interesting to restructure the Power 100 and create a list of affordable, high-scoring wines that are outperforming the market.
For this alternative ranking we focused solely on Bordeaux wines that have achieved an average score of more than 90 points. In order to identify lower-priced buying opportunities, we removed all of the labels that are trading at more than £2,000 per case. This left us with 36 unique brands, which we then ranked according to their average price (the lower the price, the better the ranking), average score, and one-year performance. The results are shown below.
Unsurpringly, the top labels include numerous Super Seconds and smattering of strong Right Bank brands. And with its winning combination of quality and affordability, Pontet Canet – ranked ninth in the official Power 100 – is king in terms of value.
