The en primeur sale of First Growth 2010 Bordeaux will play a key role in shaping the next 12 months of fine wine trading, it has been suggested.

Experts are already predicting that 2010 Bordeaux will be an excellent vintage, with anticipation over the en primeur release steadily building, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Investor reaction to the early tastings could push prices extremely high, with a knock-on effect for other Bordeaux vintages, the publication suggests.

Edward Wright, vice-president at Premium Liquid Assets in Hong Kong, told the newspaper that wine speculation must therefore be a long-term investment.

"You shouldn't look at wine investment as a way to make a quick buck. If you have a three to five-year window, the market fundamentals are very strong," he said.

Serena Sutcliffe, head of Sotheby's worldwide wine department, recently told the Financial Times that Bordeaux wine is popular with foreign investors because of the clarity of its classification system.