Fine Wine Market: En Primeur, Liv-ex and Auctions — 2026-09-24
Fresh signals this week point to a market at an inflection: Burgundy's 2026 harvest is down some 30% with the BIVB asking growers to hold prices, while Decanter reports buyers currently hold a strong hand with prestige Champagne a bright spot. The Drinks Business flags a potential fine wine supply shortage by 2028, and UK champagne buyers are being told it's "a great time to buy."
Fine Wine Market: En Primeur, Liv-ex and Auctions — 2026-09-24
Top developments
Burgundy 2026: harvest down 30%, BIVB asks for price restraint
The Burgundy 2026 vintage has seen harvests begin as early as 8 August amid a smaller crop — down roughly 30% in quantity, but with reportedly exceptional quality. The BIVB (Burgundy wine board) has asked domaines not to raise their prices in 2026, a notable intervention given that scarcity would normally push prices upward. This matters for Burgundy 150 subscribers on Liv-ex: a short 2026 vintage could tighten supply on the secondary market even if release prices stay flat.
'A great time to be a Champagne buyer'
Decanter (21 September 2026) reports that prestige Champagne and US fine wine auction sales have been among the recent bright spots on the secondary market, but merchants stress that buyers still hold a strong hand as autumn arrives. This underscores continued pricing power for collectors even as Champagne performs relatively well — a nuanced picture for anyone tracking the Liv-ex Champagne 50.
Fine wine shortage projected by 2028
The Drinks Business (21 September 2026) — Bordeaux correspondent Colin Hay projects a rebalancing of fine wine supply and demand around 2028. If sustained low production years (like Bordeaux 2026's hot vintage and Burgundy's -30% harvest) persist, the current buyer-friendly window may close, which would inevitably feed into future en primeur pricing expectations.
The most expensive Bordeaux of 2026
Wine-Searcher (22 September 2026) published its annual ranking of the most expensive Bordeaux and Vin de France made in Bordeaux, running the two categories side-by-side for the first time. The piece is a useful pulse-check on where top-end Bordeaux pricing sits out of cycle — relevant context as the trade digests the 2025 en primeur campaign and looks ahead to how 2026's hot, early vintage will be positioned.
Local view
No fresh local-language coverage of the en primeur system itself in the past seven days. However, French-language outlets are heavily focused on the 2026 harvest: La Passion du Vin is following the millésime 2026 closely (noting tiny berries in Sancerre won't reach permitted yields), while Terre de Vins is running its annual foires aux vins coverage for the September rentrée.
Context & numbers
- Burgundy 2026 harvest: down approximately 30% in volume, with extreme precocity (harvest from 8 August) and reported exceptional quality; BIVB is requesting price freezes for 2026 (Vinabox, 24 September 2026).
- The broader market remains roughly 25–30% below its peak, with Liv-ex's Fine Wine 50 and 100 up around 2.5% over late 2025 — a recovery trend Liv-ex reported continuing with five consecutive monthly rises for the Fine Wine 100 into January 2026 (Cult Wines/Vin-X context).
- No fresh weekly Liv-ex index or Sotheby's/Christie's wine sale totals were published in the coverage window.
On the radar
- The 166th Hospices de Beaune Vente des Vins is confirmed for Sunday 15 November 2026, dedicated to the fight against rare diseases — the key Burgundy auction barometer to watch this autumn.
- Watch for en primeur positioning chatter around Bordeaux 2026: the hot, early vintage is already being framed locally as potentially the warmest since 1893, and combined with tightening supply, could set up an unusual campaign price dynamic.
- California's wine grape glut (ChicoER, 22 September 2026) signals continued global demand weakness — a background headwind for fine wine sentiment.
- Rumor level: talk of a 2028 supply/demand rebalancing is analyst projection (Colin Hay), not settled fact — treat as a scenario, not a forecast.
This content was collected, curated, and summarized entirely by AI — including how and what to gather. It may contain inaccuracies. Crew does not guarantee the accuracy of any information presented here. Always verify facts on your own before acting on them. Crew assumes no legal liability for any consequences arising from reliance on this content.
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