In the labyrinths of vineyards and vintages, the world of wine often feels like an exclusive club with its own secret handshake.

We’ve all been in that situation at dinner with a wine list in front of us and no clue where to even start.

Here at Windsor Auctions, we want to somewhat demystify the wine world for our customers and so we have enlisted the help of veteran wine connoisseur, Joe Fattorini, whose words of wisdom will help you go from a novice to an aficionado.

Armed with Joe’s insights, we aim to transform the act of buying a bottle of wine from a gamble to a guided adventure and leave you with a better understanding of what exactly it is you’re paying for.

So, let’s raise a glass to what awaits and find out what Joe had to say:

 

What are the main factors that affect a wine’s valuation?

 

 

There are two main factors, the first of which is the year.

When it comes to wine, there are good years and then there are some less interesting years meaning that the wine doesn’t last for as long because it’s not got the four hallmarks that make up a really great wine.

These four hallmarks are known as the BLIC test:

• Balance – Really great wines are beautifully balanced in their fruits and freshness.
• Length – High-quality wines will not only last for a long time, but they’ll also sit on your palate for a long time.
• Intensity – A flavour intensity is essential for a great wine and you should be able to pin them down precisely not just to red fruits, not just to strawberries, but as specific as alpine strawberries.
• Complexity – Excellent wine will have a myriad of flavours.

As such, wine from particularly famous years will be more expensive, for example 1982 is especially renowned and more recently 2009.

The other factor is something that affects all markets, which is supply and demand.

Some chateau’s domains can be incredibly high-prized or occasionally a celebrity endorsement will cause the demand to shoot up.

The price of one particular Burgundy, for example, skyrocketed in price after DJ Khaled revealed in one of his songs that this wine was his favourite.

 

Does more expensive mean better when it comes to wine?

 

The truth is that the best wine I’ve ever had also happens to be the most expensive, but this is not always the case.

A wine that is ten times more expensive than another wine will not necessarily be ten times better, but there is undoubtedly some relationship between price and quality.

It’s worth doing your research rather than just looking at the price tags, as there are some bargains and market anomalies out there to be found.

 

What are some of the best regions to buy high-quality wine?

 

 

Bordeaux is the world’s largest quality wine producing region and the estates within it make a huge amount of wine, sometimes 100,000-200,000 bottles each per year.

Burgundy in France also produces excellent wine, but the supply is far smaller, which naturally means they can be very expensive.

Barolo is a really interesting market, it’s also costly, but not as expensive as Burgundy, and it has a very similar character, which appeals to a number of wine enthusiasts.

Similarly, people who might like wine from Bordeaux but don’t want to pay as much can get a comparable quality wine from Tuscany, Australia and even Chile nowadays.

 

What is the best value wine?

 

Portuguese wine is phenomenally good value and not just the fortified wine that the country is known for, but the light wines are also brilliant.

The best vintage wines from Portugal are extraordinarily good value in comparison to the rest of the world’s fine wines.

And of course, their port is excellent especially when it’s 20-30 years old and you can go and buy these wines at good prices and they’re absolutely exceptional.

 

What are the top tips for buying wine at auction?

 

 

First of all, I want to point out that I live in a flat and don’t have a wine cellar, but lots of people think that if you’re buying fine wines, you need a cellar and to fill it up.

But, I only buy fine wines from auction and I just buy them as I need them.  

So, have fun and see what you can find at auction, I wouldn’t go and research every lot, but decide what you’re looking for beforehand and then see if it’s available at a good price.

Champagne, for example, is great to buy at auctions because it’s universally better with age.

The oldest wine I’ve ever tasted came from an auction and it was a South African Vin de Constance from 1791.

This is where auctions can be so interesting and quirky because this wine was made the year Mozart died and we know Napoleon drunk that vintage of that wine.

So, I have now drunk the exact same wine as Napolean, which makes for a great story, but I never would’ve been able to find this wine anywhere but an auction.

And another thing to look out for are vintages that have been reappraised.

There were famous cases in 1997 and 2007 where both vintages were not particularly appreciated at the time, but it later turned out that they were pretty good, so they’re ones to look out for, especially a 2007 Bordeaux.

One of the curious features about auctions is that you can buy mature drinking vintages cheaper in auction than you can buy the newly released wine from the chateaus, which won’t be ready for another 20 years.

So, auctions can provide incredible value for a classy wine drinker who wants something that is ready to drink now, rather than something that isn’t supposed to be opened for another 20 years.

And you can bargain hunt for a bottle of your own at our champagne, wine, port and spirits auction that is currently ongoing until March 10 and you can find it here.