Ringing in the new year with new supply

A NEW year approaches, new vintages will be announced and the 2013 Bordeaux en primeur campaign lies ahead in the spring. With that in mind, what should one be looking to buy in 2014? One should look at it from two points of view: first, in the context of one's personal cellar and second, from an investment point of view.

Viewing with one's personal cellar in mind is simpler (and saner). The key questions being (1) what to replenish; and (2) what to stock up, in terms of laying down of young wines to mature. One's drinking habits (both from preferences and from actual consumption patterns) will influence choices, but it would be fairly general practice to fill up the spaces emptied by the year's consumption, and also to provide a reasonable estimation of increase in drinking volumes.

The investment angle combines pleasure and business, killing two birds with one stone! Right now, it has taken a bit of a hit - a downturn amounting almost to a crash. But then, we forgot Newton's law of gravity. What goes up must come down!