The fine wine investment landscape is undergoing a quiet but fundamental transformation—and at the center of this shift is WineFi, a London-based startup founded in 2023 by Callum Woodcock and Oliver Thorpe.
With a clear mission to make high-end wine investment more accessible, transparent, and data-driven, WineFi is modernizing a market long dominated by elite collectors, opaque pricing, and logistical barriers.
Breaking Down Traditional Barriers
Historically, investing in fine wine has been the domain of wealthy insiders, where knowledge of vintages, provenance, and global storage logistics was as important as capital. High entry costs, hidden fees, the risk of fraud, and concerns around storage and authenticity have discouraged broader participation. WineFi’s proposition is straightforward: democratize wine investing using technology, financial rigor, and a clear focus on transparency.
A Dual Approach: Syndication & Private Portfolios
WineFi offers investors two entry points:
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Syndicated Portfolios: With a minimum investment of just GBP 3,000, users can buy into curated, thematic collections—such as "Super Tuscan Icons" or "Grower Champagne Champions". These portfolios are constructed by an internal investment committee using market data, price trend analysis, and insights from critic scores to maximize long-term value.
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Private Client Accounts: For those preferring more control, WineFi offers a bespoke service where clients define investment goals, risk appetite, or preferred wine regions. The platform then supports them in building a tailored wine portfolio.
In both cases, the wines are stored in Coterie Vaults, a secure, climate-controlled, customs-bonded facility in the UK. This system ensures product integrity while keeping the wines exempt from VAT until delivery or sale.
Transparent Fees & Advanced Tech
One of WineFi’s strongest selling points is its transparent fee structure. Rather than layering undisclosed margins onto wine prices, it charges an upfront 12.5% fee (equivalent to 2.5% annually over five years), covering acquisition, brokerage, storage, insurance, and portfolio monitoring. For investments held longer, a prorated fee is deducted at sale. No hidden storage or management fees—just clear terms.
Behind the scenes, WineFi’s proprietary technology analyzes over 18 million data points across 100,000+ wines. The platform evaluates each wine’s historical performance, liquidity, critic consensus, and pricing spreads. It draws on databases like Liv-ex and Wine-Searcher to ensure competitive, real-world pricing.
All assets are insured and audited by independent third parties, and the company maintains no inventory of its own—a crucial step to eliminate conflicts of interest.
Expertise Meets Innovation
WineFi’s team is bolstered by advisors like Peter Lunzer, former manager of one of the world’s largest wine investment funds. Investors benefit from both algorithmic analysis and expert human curation. Whether investing through the app or web dashboard, users can track performance in real time, view reports, and follow market insights.
This hybrid model—marrying finance-grade data analysis with wine industry experience—helps WineFi appeal to a new generation of investors.
Backed by Capital, Trusted by Institutions
WineFi's credibility was solidified in 2024 when it raised GBP 1.5 million in a funding round led by SFC Capital and Founders Capital, with significant backing from Coterie Holdings—owner of venerable merchants like Lay & Wheeler. Michael Saunders, CEO of Coterie Holdings and former UK head of Bibendum, now sits on the board, alongside respected figures in finance and logistics.
Thanks to its partnership with Coterie, WineFi can access inventory and trade execution channels typically reserved for large-scale players, giving its clients institutional-grade efficiency.
Appealing to a Younger, Diversified Audience
Perhaps the most revolutionary aspect of WineFi is its audience. The average investor on the platform is 38 years old—nearly 20 years younger than the typical wine collector or fund investor. Many come from a background in digital assets, tech investing, or alternative collectibles like contemporary art and cryptocurrencies.
WineFi leans into this with a strong educational component, publishing market reports, guides, and comparative tools that help users understand how wine behaves as an asset relative to equities, property, or even Bitcoin.
What’s Next: Blockchain, Fractionalization & Market Expansion
Looking ahead, WineFi is developing blockchain-based tools in partnership with Lympid, a firm specializing in digital asset infrastructure. These tools will support fractional wine ownership, improved traceability, and potential tokenization—further lowering the barriers for retail investors to enter the fine wine market.
WineFi’s founders are clear that their goal isn’t just to build a new trading platform—it’s to create a transparent, ethical ecosystem that benefits everyone involved: producers gain access to new capital, merchants reach a younger audience, and investors diversify into a tangible, historically resilient asset class.
Challenges Ahead
The fine wine sector remains unregulated, with risks including valuation swings, illiquidity, and exposure to broader economic downturns. Yet WineFi’s use of external audits, third-party storage, no proprietary stock, and a flexible selling model (where private clients can liquidate at will) goes a long way toward addressing these concerns.
In an investment landscape saturated with digital-only products and synthetic instruments, WineFi offers something refreshingly real—a sip of tradition, reimagined for the digital age.
Source: Vinetur