Wines - General

Today, the US leads as the top wine-consuming nation in the world, above other leading countries including the UK, Argentina, Russia, Spain, and Australia. A recent report by Vinexpo and International Wine and Spirit Research indicated that demand for wine in the US is expected to rise by 11 percent through 2018, mainly due to increased availability.

Popular wines in today's market include new world wines like Penfolds Grange, French reds from the Bordeaux region, Italian reds like Amarone della Valpolicella, and South American reds from Chile's Colchagua Valley.

At auction, fine wines can be conservatively priced. Specialists therefore stress the importance of inquiring about the provenance of the wine, including information on the purchase history as well as how it was cellared. While some wines improve with age, others should be consumed after shorter periods of time. Both wines and whiskeys will drive a high demand and higher asking price at auction if they are limited releases, especially if they are from a renowned vineyard or maker.