rare in any form of asset, and means that fine wines can be an excellent mid to long-term investment. The basic principles are simple, and with good advice (and a little luck) you can take full advantage of a market which has consistently out-performed traditional stocks and shares over the last few years. In fact, according to Exchange Magazine between December 2010 and January 2011 the value of the wine market rose by 45% . Compare this with the FTSE 100, which rose by just 9% over the same period, and you can start to see why so many investors are moving their money into the wine market. A collection of fine wine can prove an excellent long-term investment Know your stuff - do you research As with any investment, the most important first step is to do your research. Diving head-first into the market without knowing something about how it works is a recipe for disaster, and you may need the bottles you've bought to drown your sorrows with. Two important sources of information for beginners are the Liv-ex 100 Index and the American wine critic Robert Parker. The Liv-ex Index is a list of the 100 best-performing investment-grade wines as calculated by the London International Vintners Exchange, and is regularly updated. This can give you an insight into how the market as a whole is performing, and which areas look the strongest. Robert Parker is the world's most influential wine critic, and his 100-point scoring system is renowned