Wine Investment Challenge 2001 - results

Fine wine merchant Robert Rolls has entered into the spirit of Wine Relief in a particularly clever and intriguing way, by instituting the Wine Investment Challenge. He presents a list of fine wines from which a notional £5000 portfolio can be assembled in the Financial Times (and presumably to anyone who emails him). Those who want to take part send him their list of wines they think will appreciate the most over the next two years, together with a cheque to £15 made out to 'Comic Relief (Wine Relief)'.

His first Investment Challenge was instituted for Comic Relief 2001 so he is now able to announce the results of the Wine Investment Challenge 2001. A total of 80 people tried their hand (raising £1200 for Wine Relief - good but I'm sure we can do better this year). The average gain of those 80 wine portfolios was 6.25 per cent of which

• 20 per cent averaged +14 per cent
• 70 per cent averaged + 5.5 per cent
• 10 per cent averaged - 2 per cent

The FTSE 100 over the same period (January 2001 to January 2003) lost 35.5 per cent so wine looks a pretty good investment - though I wonder whether it will prove to be such a good one over the next two years.

The winner of the 2001 Challenge is Antony Hichens from Dorset (whose portfolio rose by 23 per cent) who wins £1000 worth of wine from Robert Rolls.

In second place is Michael Rapp of London (21 per cent) who wins £500 worth of wine and in third place Bruce Ingraham of Middlesbrough (18 per cent) wins £250 worth of wine.

Here are the fascinating results of the 2001 Challenge - Italy, Burgundy, and less expensive Bordeaux fared best.

So now's the time to enter the 2003 Challenge (which this time includes some Australian wine). Just contact Robert Rolls (tel 020 7606 1166, mail@rollswine.com) and ask for an application form, or cut it out of the FT on 22 March. Surely this year we can manage to raise more for Comic Relief than it's costing Rolls to run this intriguing competition.