Definition: Bordeaux en primeur, also known as Bordeaux futures or wine futures, is a system of selling wine in which wine merchants can purchase the latest vintage of Bordeaux wines while they are still aging in barrels, before they are bottled and released to the market.
How Does it Work?
Typically, in the spring following the harvest, Bordeaux winemakers, negociants and merchants release small quantities of their wines for tasting and review by wine critics, journalists, and wine merchants. The JN Wine team made the journey in late April this year marking the 40th anniversary of Domaine appointments, Château tastings and strident selection on your behalf. Based on the assessments of the wines' quality and potential, the negociants then offer the wines for sale in advance of their bottling and release, at a price that is typically lower than what the wines will be sold for once they are available on the market. As soon as the price is released and agreed, we are then in a position to offer the wine to our clients.
The system is popular with wine collectors and enthusiasts who are willing to invest in high-quality wines with the potential for long-term aging and appreciation. By buying en primeur, they can secure their allocation of the wine at a lower price than they would have to pay once the wine is released to the market.
En primeur sales are usually for wines from the top Bordeaux appellations, such as Margaux, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, and Saint-Estèphe. Further afield appellations such as the Côtes de Francs and Côtes de Castillon have joined this system which gives us the opportunity to sample and purchase wines on your behalf, with less intimidating price tags and more immediate drinking pleasure guaranteed. The en primeur system is unique to Bordeaux and has been in operation for several centuries. Wines can only be purchased by the straight case as supplied by the winery (case sizes may vary from 3, 6, 12 and 24 half bottles) and are usually delivered 2-3 years after the vintage. In the instance of the 2022 vintage releases, we would predict delivery of the vintage beginning in spring, 2025.
En Primeur at JN Wine
Discover the lastest 2022 Bordeaux En Primeur →
En Primeur prices exclude VAT & duty but do include shipping from the winery to our bonded warehouse in Belfast and then onwards to your door within NI or ROI. Onward delivery of duty paid wines to addresses in GB mainland is £10.95 for 1 case and £7.95 per case thereafter. Onward delivery to other bonded warehouses in GB mainland is charged at the pallet rate. Please contact us for a quote.
Vat & duty become payable once the wine is withdrawn from a bonded warehouse.
Once the wines have arrived in Belfast, you will be notified of their arrival and asked for storage instructions or onward delivery instructions. You can choose to store them in our Customers’ Reserves area of our bonded warehouse in Belfast or have them delivered. If/when you choose to have the wines released from a bonded warehouse, the duty and VAT become payable at the prevailing rates in the jurisdiction of delivery.
Duty in the UK is currently £26.78 per case (12 x 75cl bottles) and VAT (applied to the combined purchase price of the wine and duty) is 20%.
Duty in ROI is currently €38.24 per case (12 x 75cl bottles) and VAT (applied to the combined purchase price of the wine and duty) is 23%.
