But wine futures can be equally attractive to teetotal investors.
Some older vintages offer even tastier returns.
Futures on clarets from the coveted 1982 vintage now sell at more than 10 times their offer price. Unfortunately, such spectacular performers are rare. Those who bought 1997s lost even more. Despite the generally inferior quality of the 1996 and 1997 vintages, futures prices soared due in part to rapidly rising demand in Asia. The majority of 1996 and 1997 Bordeaux vintages are trading below or just above their futures price.