While many fine wine investors may be keenly scouting out the best 2011 Bordeaux futures, one report has suggested that buying wine in bottles could be the way to go.

Writing in a piece for Bloomberg, Elin McCoy claims that it may well be worth ditching the Bordeaux wines of last year and opting for older wines.

According to the report, many older wines can be picked up for similar prices to that of the 2011 vintage which offer a more sure footing for investment.

Despite many châteaux offering various discounts, these averaged at just 15.81 per cent off the expensive 2010. This is according to Farr Vintners' May 25th final Bordeaux report.

It hasn't been enough to persuade doubters to get on-board with the vintage and according to Jamie Ritchie, president and chief executive officer of Sotheby’s Wine in New York, there's a reason why the campaign hasn't performed well.

He told Bloomberg: "All the merchants wanted a fast and well-priced campaign and we didn’t get one."

Gary Boom, head of London merchant Bordeaux Index echoed these downbeat thoughts when he told the news provider that "customers are walking away in complete apathy" from the vintage.

Mr Boom said that he expects the Bordeaux to sell just ten to 15 per cent of the wine he sold last year.

However, with the 2011 Lafite now priced cheaper than any of its previous vintages on the market, he has managed to see strong success with it.

He said that he has seen more than 100 cases sell at £5,500 each in Asia.

The piece concluded by suggesting to buyers that while buying future in barrel is the traditional way of securing top Bordeaux wines at low cost, this is no longer always the case.

One commentary in the en primeur updates section on Farr Vintners' website read: "Rauzan-Segla 600 pounds -- a very good 2011 but the 2008 is available at 420 pounds, so what’s the point?"