Richard Kihl Ltd has been buying and selling wine en primeur since 1969, over which time we have built up excellent relationships with long-established negociants in Bordeaux.

Buying wine en primeur, or as ‘futures’, means to buy while a wine is still in barrel at the chateau or domaine, before it is bottled and shipped to the UK. Payment for the wine is requested at the time of order and this will include the cost of shipment to the UK once the wine is bottled.

The time-scale varies from region to region, but in the case of Bordeaux, the wine is normally shipped in the third year following the vintage. Only at this point do the duty, VAT and any onward delivery charges become payable. Alternatively these may be further deferred by the customer opting to store the wines ‘in bond’, (see Delivery and Storage).

The main advantages of buying en primeur are as follows:

• Securing a highly-sought-after wine which may subsequently disappear from the market completely.
• Securing a wine at the ‘opening price’, below which it is unlikely to fall and the price of which may later escalate.
• Having the wine bottled in formats other than 75cl, (eg. halves, magnums, double-magnums etc.) according to your requirements.
• Guaranteeing the precise provenance of a bottle of wine all the way from chateau to dinner table.

The obvious risk associated with buying en primeur is dealing with a company that, having taken your money, may not be in a position to deliver 3 years later. By buying from Richard Kihl Ltd, with a long-proven track record in the business, you can be 100% confident of receiving your wine.

We are currently offering the 2012 Bordeaux vintage en primeur; please click here to download the vintage report, and here to view the wines.