Frequently asked questions

The En-Primeurs system is historically used in Bordeaux. An en primeur wine is a wine that is marketed while it is just beginning its maturation in barrels at the Château. It will be bottled and therefore available for delivery within 18 to 24 months.

An Allocation is the quantity that a châteaux sells annually directly to a third party. This term is used for the regions of Burgundy, the Rhône Valley and other great terroirs. An Allocation represents a limited quantity of bottles that is difficult to obtain, especially when it comes to Grands Crus.

This system makes it possible to buy wines before they are bottled under "négociant" conditions in order to be sure of obtaining them at a good price and in satisfactory quantities, particularly in the case of highly prized or low volume references.

More details on how to buy en-primeurs wines.

The campaign begins with the Primeurs week, which takes place every year in April. It brings together professionals and estates to taste the wines that will then be offered as Primeurs. 
The commercial campaign then generally runs from May to July. It is unpredictable because each Château reveals the price of its wines when it wishes. The campaign ends when all the prices of the Primeur wines have been announced.

More details on how to buy Primeur wines.

En-primeurs wines generally spend 18 to 24 months maturing in barrels. They are then bottled and ready for delivery on average 2 years after their purchase.

More details on how to buy Primeur wines.

Each year, the en-primeurs campaign begins with a week of tasting for professionals. It is during this time that our experts taste and evaluate the vintage and the wines that will be offered to you. Our Selection Committee makes every effort to select only the best wines from the greatest terroirs.

Delivery costs are not included in the price of the en primeur wines. They must be paid at the time of delivery.

Every year in April, the famous en-primeurs week is organised in Bordeaux. The principle is simple, all the Bordeaux estates welcome wine professionals to discover and taste their latest vintage still in the process of being matured. The wines will be put on sale following this event.

The en-primeurs system was invented by the Bordeaux people two centuries ago. The term "en-primeurs" therefore refers mainly to Bordeaux estates, but other estates outside Bordeaux have adopted this system of selling wine when it is just starting to mature.

More details on how to buy Primeur wines.

The en-primeurs campaign starts a few days after the end of the en-primeurs week in mid-May and usually ends at the end of June. This is the only time of the year when you can buy en-primeur wines.

More details on how to buy Primeur wines.

Our daily presence in the vineyards, our exchanges with the winemakers and our tastings allow us to determine the wines we wish to share and recommend to you. It may be a question of a well-known and recognised label, of course. But what we are most passionate about is discovering the star wines of tomorrow.

Find our selection on the shop.

The investment wines are chosen according to several criteria:
- Tasting
- Notoriety (national and international)
- Value potential
- Market liquidity
- Historical valuation
- Dynamics of the property

We are committed to following the estates we work with from vintage to vintage. However, it is possible, for example, for climatic reasons, that a château/domain produces little, which impacts our purchases.
 
On the other hand, while there are regions that do not suffer from the vintage effect because the climate varies little from one year to the next, some are particularly prone to it. In this case we adapt our purchases according to the quality of what we taste.
 
Finally, some vintages can sometimes, unfortunately, be victims of their own success.

We identify the wines we offer according to 3 categories. The Rising Stars are wines with potential whose reputation is young and whose dynamics are very strong. They are our nuggets of tomorrow. They are often wines with an excellent quality-price ratio.

Find them on the shop.

We identify the wines we offer according to 3 categories. The Famous Seconds are classified wines (1855 or Saint-Émilion) or wines with a proven reputation over the last ten years.

Find them on the shop.

We identify the wines we offer according to 3 categories. Legends are iconic, world-renowned wines with a historic reputation.

Find them on the shop.

Placed at the neck of the bottle and thanks to NFC technology, the Tag allows you to add or remove the bottle from your virtual cellar in a few seconds by placing your phone nearby. Each bottle is thus linked to the cellar in the U'Wine application, which is constantly updated as it is consumed.

More information on the Tag.

It all depends on the wine and your wishes. Some wines are best enjoyed as an aperitif, others at the table. Finally, there are some so-called meditation wines that are pleasant to drink after a meal.

The vintage refers to the year from which the wines were harvested. It is usually written on the wine label.

The grape variety is the type of grape harvested to produce the wine. There are thousands of them in the world. Each variety has its own characteristics: foliage, size of the grapes, thickness of the skin, size of the pips, colours, developed aromas.

The appellation designates the geographical origin of the wine production. In order for a wine to benefit from the appellation, it must comply with very precise specifications: production method, cultivated area, yield, grape variety used, etc.

Il existe plusieurs classements en France pour définir un Cru :

There are several classifications in France to define a Cru:

• The Classification of 1855 in Bordeaux which is unchangeable.
• The Saint-Emilion Classification which is revised every 12 years.
• The Classification of Graves which cannot be changed.
• The Classification of the Crus Bourgeois
• The Classification of the Crus Artisans
• The Classification in Burgundy which is revised every year
• The Classification in Provence
• The Classification in Alsace

Each classification has its own history and specifications.

We are here to advise and accompany you by selecting the best wines from the greatest terroirs adapted to your preferences. Let's talk together about the Conciergerie.

Your status is displayed on your Profile.

You can register for our events by going to the "Events" page.

The events are part of the U'wine Experience and are therefore offered to our Members.

Click on "Forgot your password" on the login page and enter your user mail to reset your password.

There is indeed a loyalty program.

Each status is defined by an annual spending amount. To reach the next level you must reach the next level by buying wine in the shop or by subscribing to one of our investment offers.

Find out more.

Go to Profile > Referrals to share your referral code with your friends and family and benefit from Grand Cru credit on your referral's first purchase.

In accordance with the French Data Protection Act of 6 January 1978, you have the right to access, modify, rectify and delete data concerning you. You can exercise this right by sending us a letter to the following address U'wine SAS - 13 allées de Chartres, 33000 Bordeaux.

You can also consult or modify your personal data in "My Account".

We only use the information you give us to process your orders and contact you if necessary.
For more information, please see our Terms and Conditions.

Did you have an incident upon receipt of the item?
You must refuse the package for breakage, or make a reservation directly with the deliveryman and/or refuse the delivery. Do not hesitate to contact us to give us the information. If possible, you should provide us with a photo of the packaging, the label, the damaged product and the letter of complaint.

I have not received my order. What should I do?
Check the status of your delivery directly on the carrier's website or from "My account > My orders". If the status of your order appears as "Delivered" and you have not received anything, contact our customer service at you@uwine.fr

Any other request? 
Contact our customer service at you@uwine.fr

You will receive an email as soon as your package is picked up by the carrier and leaves our warehouse. This email contains a link to the carrier's website and the tracking number of your package. 
You also have the possibility to go to your customer area "My account > My orders", and to display the details of your order.

Standard delivery : 
Delivery in 48h to 72h (no guaranteed delivery time)

Express delivery : 
Delivery in 24 hours (guaranteed) before 1pm

Delivery at a relay point : 
Delivery within 3 to 5 days

For more details.

All destinations available for delivery to individuals are displayed here. If the country of delivery is not listed, please contact us at you@uwine.fr and we will try to find a solution.

Wine is a product that naturally increases in value over time for several reasons: 

• It is a finite production: estates cannot produce more bottles than their appellation (AOC), their production capacity (terroir) or the vintage (climatic conditions) allow. The demand for certain wines is greater than the supply.
• Wine has a scarcity that increases with time. As it is consumed, the vintage becomes rarer and rarer, so there is less of it on the market.
• Wine improves with time. Wine is one of the few assets that gains in taste quality (until it reaches its peak).
• Wine is a luxury product that makes high transaction prices acceptable and meets a strong international demand.

Find out more.

U'wine Grands Crus is a trading company whose mission is to buy wine en primeur and in allocation, to store it, and to resell it. Its business model is based on the margin generated between the purchase of Grands Crus and their resale 5 to 8 years later, when they are close to their peak and their maximum valuation.
Find out more.

With the U'wine - Cave Invest management mandate, you can delegate to us the creation of your asset cellar. As an agent registered with the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), we select and purchase the best wines in the world for you. After several years of storage with our service provider specialising in the conservation of great wines, you can choose to resell your bottles a few years later in order to realise a capital gain*, or you can collect them to enjoy them and please your loved ones!

Find out more.

*risk of loss of value

The average investment period is between 5 and 10 years. This period corresponds to the time needed for the wine to reach its peak consumption (quality) and its peak valuation (rarity). Depending on the profile of the wine*, the resale period can range from 3 to 18 months. 

*Wine profile presented in the AMF Information Document

As at 31 December 2022 : 

Gross performance: U'wine customers (5% to 44% per year) / Liv-Ex Fine Wine 100* (-2% to 39% per year)

For a bottle purchased 100 by a U'wine customer, it has been resold on average 152 (i.e. 52% average gross performance) over an average period of 6.5 years. 
The average performance** of U'wine customers is 30% net, i.e. 4.6% net per year.

* The Liv-Ex is the London-based benchmark for wine. The comparison is made over the same investment periods as U'wine clients. The Liv-Ex Fine Wine 100 is the index which includes the performances of the 100 most traded wines or champagnes.
** Past performance is not indicative of future performance

Several wine investment solutions are possible:

• The U'wine Mandate
• The U'wine Grands Crus private equity offer

Find out more.

The tax on real estate wealth (IFI) replaced the Solidarity Tax on Wealth (ISF) on 1 January 2018.
The wine cellar does not fall within the scope of the assessment of the real estate wealth tax.

Sales below €5,000:

• 0% taxation on unit sales below €5,000. It is possible to make several sales of €5,000 per day if you can prove that you have a different buyer for each sale, subject to the qualification of a purchase and resale activity, leading to the realisation of Industrial and Commercial Profits (BIC).

Sales above €5,000:

• Taxable for income tax at the rate of 19% and social security contributions on income from assets at the rate of 17.2% (from 1 January 2018). The tax base benefits from an abatement of 5% per year of ownership from the 2nd year onwards.

Premiers Crus are not necessarily the best performing wines. Their purchase price is high and naturally their potential increase in value will be less than a wine from a "château in the making" bought at a lower price and still leaving "room" for a greater potential increase in value on resale.
A wine in the making may therefore perform better than a Premier Cru. Nevertheless, the demand for Premier Crus is such that they can be resold in a few days (this is called liquidity), whereas the demand for wines in the making is not yet known...

For transport and storage, the wines will be covered by insurance. During storage, the wines are insured at their real value (Bordeaux market price or other market if relevant). It is specified that in any case the insurer will only be able to provide the client with financial compensation. The prices and conditions of transport and storage insurance will be communicated to you free of charge on request. If you consider that this insurance does not cover the risk sufficiently under the desired conditions, it is up to you to take out an additional insurance policy.

As part of its AMF approval, U'wine has its auditor certify each year that the wines exist in the storage cellars.

An inventory of stocks is therefore carried out each year to certify the existence of the wines. The stocks are audited and our accounts are certified annually by our auditors.