Investing in indulgence: Connoisseurs see business in vintage wine, spirits

A wise investor should focus on the really rare wines such as the top Burgundies, said Ravi Viswanathan, director, Grover Zampa Vineyards

A few years ago, several dusty bottles of an unknown spirit were discovered in the ancient cellars of Harewood House in Yorkshire. The owners of the 18th-century country house called in experts from Christie’s to assess the find. The explorations that followed led the auction house team to a cellar book entry dating back to July 1805. It mentioned “226 bottles, dark and light 1780” of a “cane spirit” stored in two-numbered bins. The description matched the bottles that had been found. “The rum,” states an article on the Christie’s website, “had been distilled in Barbados, shipped in a barrel