Spotlight: Spain Waiting in the wings

There’s good action among collectors, but the investment focus remains on the two Ribera del Duero big-hitters

- Ribera del Duero

Spain flies below the radar in a fine wine market dominated by famous French and Italian labels, but there is still plenty for investors and collectors to consider.

Vega Sicilia’s Unico, a flagship investment grade Ribera del Duero wine, has appeared solid but not stellar on the market of late. ‘Vega underperformed the wider wine market last year,’ said Matthew O’Connell, CEO of LiveTrade and head of investment at Bordeaux Index. ‘An index of seven vintages of Unico on LiveTrade implies price growth of only 6%,’ he told Decanter.

Demand is there, however. ‘We sell through [Unico] quickly,’ O’Connell added, although he said Unico Reserva Especial, a separate multi-vintage blend, is less well understood.

‘I’d say Vega [Sicilia] follows what you might have historically described as a sensible wine pattern; prices go up gradually and they start to peak more when they’re harder to get.’