http://www.boatinternational.com | April 2018BOAT LIFE
ILLUSTRATION: ADAM NICKELHOW TO CARE FOR
YOUR WINE AT SEA
boatint.com/
# on-board-wineBuyer and cellar
Fine wine is both profitable and pleasurable, says Jonathan Ray
Collectors and divers alike
will covet this show-stopping
natural pearl, white coral and
diamond necklace by Indian
jewellery designer Bina
Goenka. While acquiring the
exquisite 61 clam pearls that
make up the piece from three
separate suppliers, Goenka
discovered that one of them
owned an exceptionally rare,
229.3 carat, fully natural
baroque pearl. As a collector
he was not planning to sell
it but Goenka loved it so
much she persuaded him to.
What results is a staggering
work of craftsmanship, which
took the atelier’s senior
designer two years to make
(the sourcing of the pearls
took a decade). Rhodium
and gold twigs move slowly,
replicating water passing
through a reef. The twigs
wrap around a piece of white
coral that leads down to the
giant natural pearl set in a
gold chain net so its beauty
can be appreciated from all
angles. POA, binagoenka.comTHE MOTHER
OF ALL PEARLSF
ine wine is a collector’s dream. So are
the associated accoutrements such as
decanters, decanting funnels, glasses and
corkscrews. I know someone who collects 18th
century silver decanter neck labels – and the
funny thing is he’s teetotal.
During my days at Berry Bros & Rudd, we had
a customer keen to collect every Château d ’Yquem
vintage from 1925 (his birth year) onwards.
As he neared his goal he became much pickier
about each bottle: the integrity of the capsule,
the quality of the label, the level of the wine.
It soon became clear that he didn’t really want
to complete the collection; it was the thrill of the
chase that excited him. When I asked when he
planned to drink his wines he looked at me as
if I were crazy. The thought of actually enjoying
these bottles had simply never occurred to him.
Of course, many of us buy to invest and serious
profits can indeed be made. Wine isn’t subject to
capital gains tax when you sell it (HMRC deems
it a depreciating asset) and canny folk buy double
their drinking requirements, sell half some yearslater, reinvest the profit in more wine and drink
the other half when the wines are mature. It’s
quite possible to have a self-financing cellar.
What could be more fun than collecting
bottles of Château Mouton Rothschild, say, or
Leeuwin Estate with its striking labels designed
by a diferent artist every year? Or the occasional
limited editions of Dom Pérignon, the latest
incarnation of which is the 2009 vintage, with
label and cofret created by Japanese designer
Tokujin Yoshioka. The bottle looks stunning and
the wine is rich, creamy, toasty and apple-fresh.
Every time I look at the empty bottle on the shelf,
I remember how darn good it was. After all, wine
is made to be drunk and not just ticked of a list.
Dom Pérignon, Tokujin Yoshioka Edition Blanc
2009, £160, harrods.com