Wine investment:  Brexit and trade issues impact wine business 

The UK is divided over Brexit, and parliamentarians have failed to answer Brexit issues, with eight proposals by different ministers. 

The UK wine traders are worried as the situation created a mess, and they are recommending importers to stockhold 20 per cent to reduce the impact of no deal. 

The business, currently, is highly fragile, and in case of a hard deal, the customs will treat imports from other EU nations as equivalent to the imports from non-EU states.  

Most of the high-quality wines in the UK come from Europe, and such actions have exhausted the time and resources of the people who would have been concentrating on increasing productivity. 

Wine price has increased 6 per cent from November 1, and the currency devaluation has also affected prices. 

About 55 per cent of the wines consumed in the UK come from the EU, and Britain supplies 45 per cent of the spirits to the EU. With a no-deal Brexit, the cost of Scotch whisky may increase. 

There will be other issues like declining consumer confidence and purchasing power in the member states in the EU. 

China is a key market for US Whiskey. Still, the 2018-2019 trade issues led to a hike in the rate of American whiskey by 25 per cent, mostly due to an increase in tariffs, and this is not taken positively as it raises the need for US distillers to seek new markets in Europe and other geographical regions. 

The trade association is worried over the growing conservatism policies in the alcohol business where the members are seeking restrictions on consumption in Ireland by reducing its availability in shops. 

How to Invest in Wine?

Wine investors need some basic business knowledge as it may require a lot of input with no guarantees to get profits. 

Before buying the brand- the strength, liquidity, history, and relative value of the bottles should be examined where the Liv-Ex can provide some basic coverage of the markets in general. 

It is best advised to invest through a reliable firm or group of people who have experience in the trade and know how the business operates. 

Provence and storage policies of the provider should be clear, where the paperwork related to the items can provide all the details related to the bottles. 

A well-researched investment can provide profitable returns since the item can be used for investment and consumption. Products like Bordeaux and Burgundy can be added to the portfolio as they offer liquidity, and such products continue to gain over the years.  

Sometimes, cult wines from unique locations like Australia or New Zealand can offer the desired price and be popular with the buyers. 

It can be profitable if the investment is made carefully through reliable groups. Many have been defrauded into such deals, where the traders take millions of investments from the target customer and fail to deliver the output.