Buying a Burgundy Grand Cru such as Le Montrachet need not be for investment purposes alone: investors may wish to indulge their palette occasionally by making a fine wine purchase simply for pleasure.

Many fine wine investors will resist the urge to crack open a bottle of Romanee Conti or Chateauneuf du Pape, claiming that the monetary benefits of allowing it to mature in value outweigh its gastronomic allure.

Speaking to the Irish Times earlier this month, Jessica Lavin of wine merchant Berry Bros and Rudd's explained that "usually investors have some interest in wine to begin with".

She added: "In fact, sometimes they're using their investment in fine wines to fund their everyday drinking of fine wines."

In addition, there is the possibility of acquiring fine wine with slightly compromised bottles which, while unsuitable for investment purposes, are still perfectly enjoyable to drink.

There is also the assumption among many novice wine lovers that all fine wine tastes better the longer it is left to mature. But as Felix Salmon notes in a recent Reuters post, this is not always the case.

The US finance journalist points out that many people lack the facilities to store a bottle of wine indefinitely in the right conditions, while also keeping a database to ensure that it does not mature beyond its prime.