Build a collection worth waiting for
Where are you starting from?
How collecting with Berry Bros. & Rudd works
Four things happen to a bottle you buy from us. Only the first is the fun part.
What to buy for your wine collection
En Primeur
Buy from other collectors
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Still have a question?
How is my tier determined?
Your tier reflects both the wine you buy from us and the wine you hold in our care, with your qualification based on whichever takes you further.
Tiers are reviewed automatically, and there is nothing you need to apply for.
You can also access certain benefits through a qualifying monthly subscription.
What's the minimum I need to get started?
Monthly subscriptions start from £250 a month, giving you access to our Cellar Club tier and benefits.
If you'd rather buy your starting selection outright rather than build up to it monthly, around £5,000 is generally enough for a genuinely varied spread of wine across a handful of regions, stored with us in bond from day one.
What does storage cost?
Storage is charged through your account. Our secure, bonded facility where your wine is held in perfect condition until you're ready to drink, sell or move it. The rate you pay is linked to your tier: as you move through Cellar Club and into Green, Gold or Black within The House of 1698, your storage rate improves, so the more you collect with us, the less it costs to keep your wine here. There's no separate sign-up needed - your discount is applied automatically once your tier is confirmed, and you can see your exact rate and current holding value at any time in your dashboard.
Can I move wine I already own into your care?
Yes, and it's one of the simplest ways to build towards a higher tier. You can transfer wine you already own into our bonded storage, and once it's with us, its value counts toward your tier qualification alongside anything you buy from us directly. This is especially useful if you've been collecting elsewhere and want everything under one roof, professionally stored and insured. To get started, speak to your account manager or start a transfer request through your dashboard - we'll walk you through what's involved, including any checks we need to carry out on provenance and condition.
How do I sell wine I no longer want?
If your tastes have changed or you want to free up space in your cellar, you can list wine for sale through BBX, our dedicated fine wine trading platform. Listing is straightforward, and the commission you pay on a sale depends on your tier - the higher you sit within Cellar Club or The House of 1698, the less commission you'll pay, so selling becomes more cost-effective as you progress. You can list wine yourself through BBX, or if you'd rather have it handled for you, your account manager can manage the process on your behalf.
When do duty and VAT become payable?
As long as your wine stays in our bonded care, it's held free of UK duty and VAT - this is one of the key benefits of storing with us rather than taking delivery straight away. Duty and VAT become due only when your wine leaves bond, most commonly when you ask us to deliver it to your home. If you sell the wine on through BBX while it remains in bond, it can typically be transferred to the new owner without duty or VAT being triggered, which is part of what makes trading through us efficient. Your account manager can talk you through the costs for your specific situation if you're planning a delivery or sale.
What happens if I spend less next year?
Nothing to worry about - your tier isn't something you can "lose" overnight. We review it automatically once a year, based on whichever is higher: your spend with us over the period, or the value of wine you currently hold in our care. Because holdings count as well as spend, a quieter year of buying doesn't necessarily mean a change in tier if you still have a meaningful amount stored with us.
If neither measure meets the threshold for your current tier at review, you'll move to the tier that reflects your activity - but there's no penalty, no notice period to worry about, and you can always requalify the following year, or join a tier directly through a monthly subscription if you'd rather not wait.
Do I have to pay tax on the wine I sell?
HMRC treats most fine wine as a wasting chattel under the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, meaning it is generally exempt from Capital Gains Tax on disposal. This is set out in HMRC's Capital Gains Manual at CG76901 .
Long-lived fortified wines such as vintage Port and Madeira fall outside this treatment, since HMRC doesn't regard them as having a predictable life of 50 years or less. Individual circumstances vary, so we'd always recommend speaking to a tax adviser about your own position.
Is wine a good investment?
As with many investments, fine wine has no guaranteed return. Prices move differently by region, producer and vintage, and past performance in any market says nothing certain about the years ahead. What we offer is the infrastructure around collecting: bonded storage that protects a wine's condition and provenance, and BBX, an exchange with transparent transaction history, so that if you do want to sell, there is a real market to sell into.
We don't provide financial advice, and if wine is one part of a wider investment strategy, it's worth speaking to a financial adviser about how it fits alongside everything else.
