Burgundy 150 Index 2026: Is the Fine Wine Market Turning a Corner?

For much of the past three years, Burgundy has been the fine wine market's biggest headache. The region that once commanded record prices and a devoted following of collectors and investors alike found itself the worst-performing category on the Liv-ex exchange, dragging down sentiment across the broader market. In 2026, that story is starting to change, and the data behind the Burgundy 150 index tells us exactly why.

What the Burgundy 150 index is actually showing

The Burgundy 150, Liv-ex's benchmark for the region's most actively traded wines, rose an extraordinary 75% during the 2021 bull run, when demand for grand cru Burgundy outstripped supply and prices surged across the board. What followed was a sharp correction: a 34% decline between September 2022 and August 2025, as rising interest rates, softer Asian demand, and a broader cooling in the secondary market took hold.

Since September 2025, though, the index has posted a 2.2% gain, its strongest run in over three years. Rebased from a value of 100 in January 2010, the Burgundy 150 now sits at 295.9 as of January 2026, still comfortably above pre-2020 levels despite the correction. For context, the broader Liv-ex 1000 has moved from 100 in January 2004 to 305 in January 2026, so Burgundy's long-run trajectory remains firmly intact even after a difficult few years.

Why the correction happened, and why it may be ending

Burgundy's pullback wasn't random. According to Liv-ex market analyst Sophia Gilmour, the prior volatility "pushed many buyers out of the market and undermined confidence in Burgundy wines as investment assets." Prices had simply run too far ahead of realistic demand, and a correction was arguably overdue.

What's notable now is where the recovery is coming from. Demand is climbing at current price levels, with UK and Asian buyers particularly active: bids from these regions are reportedly up 135% compared to the 2024 average. That's a meaningful signal: buyers are stepping back in at prices they consider fair value, which is typically how a market bottoms out rather than continues to fall.

Burgundy also now accounts for roughly 25% of all wine traded on the Liv-ex exchange by value, the highest share the region has ever held. Even through the downturn, Burgundy hasn't lost relevance; if anything, it has become more central to how the secondary market functions.

Not all Burgundy performed the same

One of the most useful lessons from this cycle is that "Burgundy" is not a single, uniform asset class. Performance has diverged sharply by colour, producer, and vintage.

White Burgundies held up noticeably better than reds throughout the correction, stabilising earlier and losing less value. That resilience carried into the 2024 vintage assessments: Grand Cru whites matched the quality of the previous eight vintages, while Grand Cru reds were rated lower, reflecting a smaller, rain-affected harvest.

Producer selection mattered just as much. Joseph Drouhin largely avoided the price declines that hit the rest of the category, while Domaine Georges Roumier, despite its blue-chip reputation, saw its 2013, 2014, and 2015 vintages rank among the worst performers across the entire Liv-ex 1000. For comparison, Sauternes was the standout defensive category through the downturn, falling just 5.7% overall, with Climens and Coutet actually posting gains. The takeaway for investors is straightforward: broad regional exposure to Burgundy carried real risk, while careful producer and vintage selection made a measurable difference to outcomes.

What this means for fine wine investors

Fine wine's appeal as an investment has never rested solely on any single region's short-term price movements. Over 22 years of benchmarked data, the Liv-ex 1000 has shown just a 0.12 correlation to the FTSE 100, close to zero, meaning fine wine has tended to move largely independently of equity markets through the 2008 financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the inflation shocks of recent years. That diversification benefit doesn't disappear because one sub-index had a rough three years; if anything, Burgundy's correction and now-stabilising trend is a reminder of why disciplined, well-diversified portfolios outperform single-region bets over time.

There's also a structural advantage that's easy to overlook: most fine wine qualifies as a wasting asset under UK Capital Gains Tax rules, meaning gains on qualifying wines are generally exempt from CGT. Combined with signs of price stabilisation and renewed buyer demand, 2026 is shaping up to be a more constructive entry point for Burgundy than the market has offered in several years.

How Cellar Advisor approaches Burgundy right now

At Cellar Advisor, we manage bespoke fine wine portfolios for more than 300 private clients across 30+ countries, with over £40 million in inventory under management and no annual management fees. Our approach to Burgundy reflects exactly the lesson this cycle has taught the market: exposure needs to be selective, not sweeping.

That means favouring producers with a demonstrated track record of resilience, weighting toward white Burgundies where quality and pricing currently offer better relative value, and using our Liv-ex membership and market intelligence to time acquisitions around genuine value rather than momentum. Our five-year diversified client portfolios have delivered 38% cumulative growth, outperforming the Liv-ex 1000 by 11 percentage points over the same period, a result built on this kind of selective, data-led positioning rather than simply tracking the index.

The bottom line

The Burgundy 150 index's return to growth after a 34% correction doesn't mean the risks have disappeared, but it does mark a meaningful shift in sentiment. Renewed demand from UK and Asian buyers, a record share of Liv-ex trading activity, and clear signs of stabilisation all point toward a region finding its footing again. For investors, the opportunity isn't in buying Burgundy broadly; it's in buying it well.

If you're considering adding Burgundy to your fine wine portfolio, or want a clearer picture of how current market conditions affect your existing holdings, get in touch with Cellar Advisor for a portfolio review.