Wines sold “en primeur” are essentially “wine futures” – young wines that are sold while still maturing in barrel. The wines are sold in full, unmixed cases, In Bond (ie ex duty and VAT), and shipped once bottled (normally two to three years after the vintage).

Buying en primeur can be the best way to secure an allocation of wines made in tiny volumes, while wines often also go up in value once bottled and as they reach maturity.

The en primeur price for a wine includes shipping to our bonded warehouse in London, but excludes duty, VAT and delivery to your home or another address. You’ll need to pay storage charges for any wines kept in our bonded warehouse.

Yes – one of the advantages of buying en primeur is that you can secure half-bottles or large formats of wines. In Bordeaux, different formats come with a small premium: £5 per case for 3 x 150cl magnums, £10 per case or 12 x 37.5cl half-bottles, £30 per 300cl double-magnum and £40 per 600cl imperial.

The finest producers in Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhône all offer wines en primeur, although top wineries around the world now follow this model too.

Bordeaux is offered in the spring following the vintage, while Burgundy producers wait until a year or more after the vintage (with the wines offered between September and March). In the Rhône, the wines tend to be offered just over a year after the vintage.

These fine wines won’t be available on the shelves of high street retailers. Fine wine merchants, however, will offer these wines – with the most desirable wines offered on allocation only. FINE+RARE has established relationships with many of the wine world’s most prestigious estates, enabling us to secure stock of the most desirable wines.

Some buyers follow the same property year after year, while others follow a critic or take advice from their wine merchant. With each release we will publish tasting notes (both critics’ and our own, where we have tasted the wine), and our expert Account Managers are always on hand to offer advice.

It varies according to the property, but wines purchased en primeur are normally delivered between two and three years after the vintage. The wines will be delivered to our bonded warehouse in London once ready. You can then store the wines until they’re ready to drink, sell them or withdraw them for storage elsewhere, or – eventually – consumption.

There’s nothing stopping you, but most wines sold en primeur will be best with time in the cellar. It will, however, depend on the wine in question; our team will be happy to advise you on when is the best time to drink the wines in your portfolio.

Proper storage is essential for ageing wine, ensuring that when you do pull the cork on a bottle it is in the best-possible condition. It’s also important, if you might choose to sell your wine further down the line, that a wine’s provenance can be guaranteed, and this is best done by storing wine professionally In Bond. You can store wines in our secure, bonded, climate-controlled warehouse for a small annual fee, where they will also be insured at replacement value.

No problem. You can resell your wines at the click of a button through your F+R online account. If you want advice, simply get in touch with your Account Manager who will be happy to help.

Get in touch: we’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Our expert Buyers and Account Managers have years of experience tasting, securing and selling the world’s finest wines, giving you unparalleled access to the world’s finest wines, with service tailored to your personal needs.