What is En Primeur

En Primeur is a kind of wine futures, where wines are offered for sale before they have been bottled. The wine producers (chateaux) show cask samples of the young wine after just a few months development in barrel, and then prices are set and an offer made. Originally this was a way for wine brokers or negociants to buy the young wines direct from the Chateaux, which they would only bottle and sell on when the wine was ready to drink. Nowadays, such is the demand for them, that the wines are offered for sale to the customer in this state.

What do I pay when buying En Primeur?

The customer pays the price for the wines, free of duty, delivery and VAT. Once the wine is ready to be shipped, which can be as much as two years later, the customer either ships it (often duty free) to a storage account of their choice (where the wine can continue to age or be sold on to another buyer at a later date) or has it delivered duty paid to them direct.

Current Duty Rates

Still wine - £21.71 per 9 litres

Sparkling wine - £27.81 per 9 litres

Fortified wine - £28.94 per 9 litres

Current VAT Rate

20% on total value including Duty

Please note that these are subject to change at any time and you pay the current rates due at the time of delivery.

Why Buy En Primeur

Buying wine En Primeur is one of the best ways to secure a sought after wine at a reasonable price. Demand for the best wines from these regions has grown hugely in the last few years, and will often easily outstrip supply. For this reason, some wines will not be available commercially later in their lives, and if they are, will command much higher prices.

Buying wine En Primeur also gives the customer the security of knowing the wine's provenance from the very start of its life. In highly sought after wines, this is very useful knowledge.