What is En-Primeur wine?

What is an ‘En Primeur’ wine?
En primeur means ‘opening offer’. It is a wine future; wine sold by growers and merchants before it is aged, bottled and ready for physical delivery.

Typically wine merchants will be invited to taste wines while they are still in barrels.

Experienced merchants will make an offer based on their judgment of quality. Prices may change based on factors like demand, supply and Parker ratings.

What is en primeur pricing?
An en primeur price excludes taxes such as GST and Singapore Liquor Duty.
Shipping and insurance are also excluded.

After purchasing his wine en primeur, a client still has to pay freight charges (from port to port), duty and GST (if in Singapore), handling and transportation charges.

When are en primeur wines delivered?
Many wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhône are sold en primeur. Delivery varies by region. In Bordeaux, the largest region, the en primeur offer of the previous years’ vintage is typically made in June of the following year. Delivery of the bottled wine will then take place 18 months to two years later (i.e. about 3 years after the harvest or vintage).

Delivery of fine wines normally will take 2 months by sea or 2 weeks by air.