Vinovest Review: Are Wine and Whiskey Investments Inflation-Proof?
Written by
Caitlyn Moorhead
Edited by
Kristen Mae
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GOBankingRates Score
Vinovest
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Commission and Fees
3.9
-
Diversification
4.3
-
Liquidity
4.2
-
Ease of Use
4.6
Pros
- Low minimum investment requirement
- Large wine and whiskey marketplace presents many opportunities to invest in fine wine
- Wide range of investment portfolio options
- You can buy and sell wines at any time and you don't have to be accredited
- Investments are both securely stored and insured in a bonded warehouse
Cons
- Better as a long-term investment as you will pay a penalty if you sell wine outside the ideal selling window.
- High management fees.
- You cannot split up your investment into equity shares or fractional ownership.
- Whiskey cask sales not available through Vinovest marketplace.
Vinovest Overview
Vinovest, founded in 2019, is a wine and whiskey investment platform that allows you to invest starting at $1,000 for wine or $1,750 for whiskey. After funding your account, you’ll have access to a lucrative luxury market with portfolio recommendations curated by master sommeliers using Vinovest’s proprietary algorithm. Fine wine and whiskey historically show returns annually and are considered recession-resistant investments. Vinovest is a legitimate investment platform that doesn’t require you to know much about wine or whiskey to make money, as it will authenticate, insure, and store selections on your behalf. Once you invest, you own 100% of the fine wine and whiskey in your personalized portfolio.
Key Features
Here’s a look at some of the key features of Vinovest.
Commissions and Fees
When investing in real assets like fine wine and whiskey, you have to factor in both the platform’s fees and the cost of the wine or whiskey itself. For example, fine wines can cost anywhere between $80 to $150 per bottle.
The competitive starting point of $1,000 for wine or $1750 for whiskey makes investing more feasible, especially if you’re beginning your investment journey. Along with the minimum deposit, Vinovest makes the fine wine and whiskey investing process less complicated by handling all aspects of your investment for a management fee that includes insurance, storage, authentication, and management of your investment portfolio. Management fees are based on your investment tier and range from 2.25% to 2.85%.
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Diversification
If you are just starting to dip your toes into the pools of wine and whiskey investing, you may be wondering what portfolio diversification looks like. Vinovest helps you on this journey by curating your portfolio based on your personal investment goals. They also offer managed or self-directed portfolios if you’re a more experienced investor.
Before you get started with Vinovest, you should assess your risk tolerance level. After that, you can choose what type of portfolio to create to match your investment needs and goals. Vinovest offers different types of portfolios with corresponding targets for annual returns, ranging from conservative to aggressive.
Liquidity
When you invest with Vinovest, you are the 100% owner of the wine you purchase. You can even have your bottles shipped to your home for consumption if so desired, which is its own kind of liquidity. Though you are able to buy and sell wine at any time to free up some capital, Vinovest is more of a long-term investment as it has a recommended holding period of 5 to 10 years for wine and whiskey.
Vinovest doesn’t charge extra commissions when you sell through the platform unless you sell your wine before the ideal selling window. It’s possible to sell early, but along with the 1.5% listing fee, early sales impact the return on your investment. Whiskey sales are not yet allowed in the Vinovest marketplace. When your whiskey cask reaches maturity, Vinovest can work with a global network of buyers to sell it for you, or you can have it bottled for a fee.
Ease of Use
Vinovest’s platform is user-friendly and great for beginning investors and wine and whiskey enthusiasts alike. You don’t have to be a sommelier to invest wisely, as Vinovest takes care of that for you with its team of experts and a proprietary algorithm designed to find the most competitive investment rates. You can also easily open an account with your email address or your Google or Apple account.
How Vinovest Stands Out Compared to Competitors
Vinovest stands out among its competitors in a variety of ways. Here is a comparison of Vinovest with some other leading wine investment platforms.
Vinovest vs. Vint
Vint is an SEC-qualified wine and whiskey investment company for U.S. customers. With Vinovest, you are the owner of what you purchase. With Vint, you essentially just invest in Vint LLC, and the company remains the owner of the bottles of fine wine in the collection. You cannot sell shares at will, and a one- to seven-year long-term hold is put on the investment.
Vinovest vs. Cult Wine Investment
To get started with Cult Wine Investment, investors will need at least $35,000. The starting annual fee is comparable to Vinovest ranging from 2% to 2.75%. There is also an eight to twelve-week minimum waiting period once you initiate the liquidation process for your fine wine assets.
Is Vinovest Right For You?
Vinovest is best for you if you’re looking for an investment with potentially more stability than classic stock market options. What’s nice about the platform is that you don’t have to know much about wine to benefit from investing in it. If you do invest, you own 100% of your investment. You can also enjoy the fruits of your labor as well since Vinovest can deliver bottles right to your door.
Final Take
Wine and whiskey can be more than a relaxing way to end the day–they can be a solid investment in your future. These investments have a proven performance of annual returns for more than 20 years which means it performs better than many other global equities. When you invest, Vinovest keeps your wine and whiskey safe in a bonded warehouse and remains insured while you decide how and when to profit from it.
FAQ
Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding Vinovest.- Is Vinovest legitimate?
- Yes, Vinovest is a legitimate wine and whiskey investment platform. It offers expert advice from both sommeliers and data analysts as well as access to its luxury market.
- Are fine wines and whiskeys good investments?
- Fine wine as an asset has shown 10.8% returns for over two decades and whiskey casks have shown 12% to 18% returns annually over the last 15 years, so they are considered a solid investments.
- What is the minimum deposit for Vinovest?
- There are tiers for what kind of portfolio management you can get through Vinovest. The basic investment option only requires a minimum investment of $1,000 for fine wine and $1,750 for whiskey.
- Is investing in wine and whiskey safe?
- Compared to other investments, like stocks and crypto, fine wine and whiskey are relatively stable and safe investments. Both wine and whiskey benefit from low volatility and low stock market correlations. Also, all investments with Vinovest are securely stored, insured, and authenticated to protect your investment.
Micah Gause contributed to the reporting for this article.
Data is accurate as of Oct. 1, 2024, and is subject to change.
Editorial Note: This content is not provided by any entity covered in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews, ratings or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any entity named in this article.
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