🍷 En primeur
Buying wine while it is still in the barrel, a year or two before bottling.
En primeur is the purchase of wine while it is still in the barrel, a year or two before bottling. The buyer pays in advance and receives the bottles later, when the wine is ready. The custom arose in Bordeaux, so it is often tied to claret, the red wines of Bordeaux.
Why do it? For merchants and buyers it is a chance to buy at a better price, especially wine from the best vintages. The producer gets money early. The price depends on assessments of the vintage: critics and experts taste the young wine from the barrel. But the buyer takes a risk, as the finished wine may differ from what was expected.
En primeur belongs to the wine trade, not to production. It is used for famous wines, rare bottles and collectible wines. An ordinary buyer does not need it, as buying a finished bottle is simpler. Before paying in advance, make sure the seller is reliable.
How it connects to Wine
🍷 En primeur → kind of → 🏪 Wine storage and trade → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Next step
- 🍷 Claret
- Part of
- 🏪 Wine storage and trade
Frequently asked questions
What is en primeur?
Buying wine while still in the barrel, a year or two before bottling, with delivery later.
Where did en primeur begin?
In Bordeaux, France.
What is the risk of en primeur?
The finished wine may differ from expectations, and payment is made in advance.
Similar
🍷 Wine tanker ship · 🍷 Wine auction · 🍷 Wine list · 🍷 Wine cooperative · 🍷 International Organisation of Vine and Wine · 🍷 Excise on wine