With profits rarely seen on the stock market, the most promising Spanish vintage can rise up to 300% in value per year. In other words, buy a box of 12 bottles for 210 euros, for example, and sell it 24 months later for 650 euros.

Those keen to enter this merry business can drink, collect, invest and even speculate. And there are only three simple stages: buy, store and sell. For most future wine investors, the big dilemma they face can be summarised in two verbs: to drink or to invest.

Southern Europe jumps on the wine investment bandwagon
Investment in wines is a phenomenon that is in its early days in southern Europe. Until very recently, the Spanish public has been of the opinion that good bottles of wine are to be drunk, full stop. They also regretted the fact that others were toasting with their wine. But the higher the revaluations, the quicker this viewpoint is changing. One country that is ahead of the game in this field is the United Kingdom, which invented wine investment. To better understand the business, glance at the wine list of a British restaurant and be left astounded by the excessively expensive prices. The same occurs in France, home to the planet's most celebrated blends.

Those in the know are fully aware that a well-considered investment in this field always pays off. Investors can sleep easy. If the market does slump, there is always the final option of uncorking the bottles and drowning your sorrows. In other words, the risk can be whittled down to a couple of alternatives: making rich profits or tasting the wines yourself.

How to buy
As in other walks of life, the key is to experiment. You need not be an expert in the field to make a fat profit with wines. Just use your common sense and let yourself be guided by the market's experts to increase your chances of success. In general it is worth keeping the following guidelines in mind:
- That the brand of wine you are investing in has a successful track record in resale.
- That the specialist press and vendors share a high opinion of the wine.
- That the wine ages well over three, four, five or more years.
- That the wine comes from what are considered exceptional or very good years.
- That it is not mass-produced.
- That it has been awarded some medal or distinction.
- That it represents a good offer at the time of purchase.

Taking care of the liquid gold
Wine is a living organism that needs a series of conditions to ensure perfect storage. Even though the bottle and the cork keep the wine fresh for years, decades, even centuries, it has been shown that more care is needed. The investment can turn to vinegar if abrupt changes in light and vibration are not avoided. The drink is ideally to be stored in a dark, tranquil, silent and slightly cool place. The temperature and humidity should be stable, something that is never the case in the kitchen (the room with the widest temperature change in the house (as well as being the smokiest, smelliest, loudest and brightest). If you are not lucky enough to have a storage room or a garage, you can buy wine-holders in glass cabinets that are specially made to ensure that your valued investment rests and matures in peace.