White Burgundy Captures a Bigger Share of Fine Wine Trading

Collectors in the fine wine market are spreading their money across more regions and styles, and white Burgundy is taking a larger share of that trade after years in which red wines, especially Bordeaux, set the tone for the category.

Recent data from Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the wine trade, shows how the shift has developed over time. Trading by value in still white wine rose 650% from 2010 to 2025 and reached 10.5% of total trade value last year, according to the exchange. Sparkling wine rose even faster, up 1,100% over the same period, while reds fell 15%.

At Bordeaux Index, which operates the LiveTrade online platform, Geraint Carter said white Burgundy’s share of the company’s trading by value has moved from about 2% to about 5% over the past decade. He said the change should be seen as part of a broader market realignment in which Burgundy, Champagne and other regions have reduced the long-standing dominance of red Bordeaux.

Tom Burchfield, head of decision intelligence at Liv-ex, said collectors’ cellars have become more diverse and that changing tastes likely play a role. He said Burgundy, both red and white, has been a major driver of that shift over the past 10 years. The result, he said, is a market that looks much less concentrated than it did 15 years ago.

That does not mean white wines are replacing reds at the top of the market. Red Bordeaux remains a cornerstone of fine wine trading, and the highest-profile white Burgundy labels represent a narrow part of the business. Carter said activity is centered on iconic wines and remains a thin market because production volumes are small, often very small, at the individual label level. Scarcity has helped keep prices high.

Bordeaux Index said some of the standout white Burgundy trades on LiveTrade in the first half of 2026 were led by grand cru bottles from a small group of blue-chip producers. It cited Domaine d’Auvenay Chevalier-Montrachet and Bâtard-Montrachet at £15,000 to £20,000 per 750ml bottle, Domaine Leflaive Montrachet at £10,000 to £15,000, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet at £5,000 to £7,000, and Domaine Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne at £3,000 to £4,000.

Even in a softer market, top white Burgundy has shown some resilience. Burchfield said white Burgundy did not rise as sharply as red Burgundy during the 2021-2022 price surge and later did not fall as far. That relative stability has added to its appeal for collectors who want exposure to Burgundy without making the same bet on red wines.

Auction results in recent weeks have also pointed to strong demand for established names. After a June fine wine sale, the U.S. auction house Hart Davis Hart said white Burgundy continued to attract aggressive bidding, with bottles from mature vintages of Leflaive and Ramonet, as well as newer releases from producers such as Bernard-Bonin and Paul Pillot, setting record prices in some cases.

The same auction house also reported strong interest in Italian wines. In late June, six bottles of Giacomo Conterno’s Monfortino Barolo Riserva 2010 sold for $11,950, above a high estimate of $9,500, including buyer’s premium. A single magnum of the same wine sold for $4,183 against a high estimate of $3,200. From Tuscany, six bottles of Soldera Case Basse Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2004 sold for $17,925, above a high estimate of $14,000. Hart Davis Hart said its June sale was 100% sold, its fifth straight white-glove result.

Elsewhere, Zachys sold wines from the cellar of the now-closed New York restaurant Barbetta in a live sale in Delaware in late June. Twelve bottles of Bruno Giacosa Santo Stefano di Neive Barbaresco 1995 brought $3,750, above a high estimate of $3,000, including buyer’s premium. Christie’s also drew attention to rare fortified wines in an online sale that ended on June 19, when a lot containing a bottle each of Pio IX Moscatel 1846 and La Cuadrada Palo Cortado 1997 sold for £2,500, within its estimate range.

The broader change in collector behavior comes at a time when the mechanics of the market are also becoming more digital. LiveTrade and Wine Hub, a business management system created by Wine Owners, recently announced a partnership that will allow Wine Hub users to trade directly on LiveTrade and view real-time pricing and stock availability. The companies said the move is intended to make access to the market easier for merchants and private collectors. LiveTrade said it typically has nearly £50m of in-bond stock available for trading at any one time.

That technology piece could matter well beyond a narrow group of investors. In the fine wine business, faster access to live prices and available inventory can improve how merchants buy, sell and value stock, and it may help bring more transparency to a part of the beverage trade that has often been opaque. For importers, retailers and collectors dealing in premium wines, clearer visibility on pricing and in-bond supply can shape purchasing decisions and liquidity, especially when demand is shifting across categories such as white Burgundy, Champagne and top Italian wines.

Market participants say the wine world is moving closer to the pattern seen in other luxury goods, where information moves quickly and buyer interest can shift faster than in the past. The old model, in which a small number of regions and critics could dominate the conversation, has weakened. Climate pressures, stylistic diversity and broader global production have all played a part in opening the field.

The calendar ahead suggests that demand for rare bottles is still expected to hold attention into the fall. Christie’s is set to co-host a charity auction of rare Burgundy wines and experiences from Sept. 4 through Sept. 19 to support restoration work at the Cistercian Abbey of Cîteaux, with the sale ending alongside a charity dinner at Château Clos du Vougeot. Sotheby’s has also said it will offer Château Haut-Brion wines sourced directly from the estate’s cellars, with bidding opening on Sept. 17 and closing with a live auction in Paris on Oct. 1. In London, the Golden Vines fine wine and gastronomy event is scheduled for Nov. 6-8, with tickets priced at £10,000 per person.