Downing the lot must have seemed like the way to go at the time. But when Lehman Brothers collapsed last year, investors rushed to sell their quality plonk instead. As a result, the benchmark Liv-Ex 100 Fine Wine index tumbled by a fifth in just two months. Since then, however, it has been an explosive bouquet of spice, cherry and pepper all the way, with prices surging again. August's jump of 5 per cent was the biggest since mid-2007. The index is now only 15 per cent off its peak last summer and certain Lafite Rothschild vintages are at all-time highs.
大口吞進肯定是當時的趨勢。但當雷曼兄弟(Lehman Brothers)去年倒閉時，投資者卻紛紛拋售他們的優質葡萄酒。結果，基準的Liv-ex 100精品葡萄酒指數短短兩個月就下挫了20%。不過，自那以後，夾雜著香料、櫻桃和胡椒粉的酒香就一路瀰漫，價格再次竄升。8月份5%的漲幅是自2007年年中以來最大的。Liv-ex 100指數目前僅比去年夏季的峯值水準低15%，某些羅斯柴爾德拉菲(Lafite Rothschild)酒的價格正處於歷史高位。