For many people, high-quality wines and the secretive art of wine-collecting are a mystery but this about to change thanks to Octavian and Charles Curtis, former Head of Wine for Christie’s.

What’s the best vintage to avoid right now and what about storage? Octavian – located 100ft underground in a retired World War II munitions mine in Corsham – can answer that and much more thanks to their wine cards which allow budding wine connoisseurs or established collectors to expand their wine knowledge and collections.

In collaboration with prominent Master of Wine, Charles Curtis (trained at the Cordon Bleu Paris), Octavian is releasing a series of exclusive ‘wine cards.’ These are packed with guidance on what makes a wine collectable for investment purposes.

The guides are supported in this with a guide to the exceptional vintages across the spectrum. With further comments by region of the best wines to collect to yield the best chance of a financial return.

Highlights include:

  • What to look for in starting a collection – ‘Focus a collection by concentrating on producers with a coherent style, and preferably those that one likes, even if the wines are purchased mainly for investment. Having consistency to a collection makes it easier to market should one decide to liquidate (as it were) the asset.’
  • The best wine for investment and collecting – ‘Château Latour in our view… is eminently age-worthy. A good bottle of Latour stored well will easily make it to the century mark without tipping over.’
  • What to avoid and look for in a rating – ‘For Château Margaux, the 1990 is absolutely superb, and among the younger vintages, the 1996 is also showing very well. Best to avoid the patch between ’62 and ’77.’


Vincent O’Brien, Managing Director of Octavian, commented: “Here at Octavian we don’t pretend to be wine experts, we leave that to Curtis. However, we are extremely specialised in knowing how to handle and store fine wine in the best possible conditions, as well as offering extensive security and an all-risk insurance policy.

This partnership with Charle Curtis means our customers who are thinking of expanding their collection, know what to look out for, as well as understanding the value of their wine and why it’s important to store it correctly to reach its full potential.”

The new wine cards are available to all Octavian members on a quarterly basis. Wine connoisseurs interested in joining Octavian and receiving the latest wine intel should visit octavian.co.uk.

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