Managing your cellar with BBX

Every single wine sold through BBX is authenticated and provenance assured, stored In Bond in our temperature and humidity-controlled, (not to mention sustainable) warehouse. There is no commission payable when buying wines through BBX. Instead, we charge 10% commission on any successful sale (far lower than the 20-30% charged by auction houses). As part of our service for customers registered with BBX, we provide market information, the latest Liv-ex pricing, and our own market insights. We can also provide the latest and highest sale prices of any wines you are interested in selling, to help you set a fair price.

How many wines are available on BBX?

There are around 13,000 wines listed on the exchange. You can buy these right now at the price listed. But one of the best things about BBX is that there are also over 47,000 wines that you can bid on. These are wines that other collectors have laid down that they’re not actively trying to sell, but are happy to receive bids on. If you want to buy a particular wine, there’s a very good chance that you can find it on BBX.

How do you place bids with BBX?

Only registered BBX users can place bids, but its easy to do. Just go to Bidding on wines where you can get started right away. You can also place bids using the Cellar Manager App . It’ll show you what is in your cellar currently, and you can also list wines for sale and accept bids.

How do you know the right price to list your wine at on BBX?

Sometimes it’s quite straightforward - particularly when there’s a lot of market data that BBX can pull together for you – for example with Classed Growth Bordeaux or prestige cuvée Champagne. And if you’ve got something rare, with perfect provenance and in its original wooden case, you can add a bit of a premium.

If you’re lucky enough to have a rare case of wines, there may not be that much data out there. This is where our expertise can help. We can see what other vintages are being listed, what other wines that producer makes, other producers who sell from that particular vineyard, and so on, to help you determine a fair price. We can also review historic bids with BBX and a breadth of market data, helping you to tackle this from different angles.

What services can you offer to collectors?

Other than helping you get the right price for wines you’re selling, we can help encourage the right bids. We recommend listing within 5% of the market price for the greatest success, and we can provide all the information you need to do this. We can also give you advice on what’s moving well, and what you should probably hold on to. Basically, we’ll help you to fully appreciate what’s in your cellar.

What sort of considerations should people have when buying older vintages?

With regions like Bordeaux, things can change quite a lot: there might be a new winemaker or a new style. Look at Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, which is one of the most exciting and sought-after properties in Bordeaux today. It’s really come into its own in recent years, but you don’t want to go too far back before those changes took place. On the other hand, where a producer has long had a track record, you can comfortably buy much older vintages; Château Figeac is a good example.

I think sometimes collectors can underestimate how long white wines can age, and can shy away from older bottles. White Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a great example. It ages wonderfully and is often drunk far too young. The Vieilles Vignes, Roussanne by Château de Beaucastel or Châteauneuf-duPape Blanc, Clos des Papes, Paul Avril & Fils are two that age incredibly well. If you have older bottles of these wines, either drink them, or list them for sale so other Rhône enthusiasts can enjoy them.

What are your top tips for getting the most out of BBX?

Keep up to date with Best of BBX, especially our Top 50, which we update daily. This represents the 50 wines listed for sale whose current price compares most favourably to the market. You never know what you might find, from the seriously rare, to the truly excellent value for money. New to BBX is our collection of the wines that have been listed for sale with BBX in the last 24 hours. This is a great way to snap up both popular and more unusual cases as soon as they became available.

BBX is a great place for large formats. For example, magnums of young Bordeaux often work out cheaper than buying the equivalent in bottles. After a few years, the rarity factor also kicks in. They age for longer so even in lesser vintages they fare well.

And start diversifying your collection. Bordeaux or Burgundy are incredibly important, but they’re just one part of the market. Buy from places like Piedmont and the Rhône Valley, too – you’ll get more bang for your buck.