Once more, the drinks business has engaged Liv-ex – the global marketplace for the fine wine trade – to assess the world’s most powerful fine wine brands.

And although each year yields different results, 2012’s survey is a marked departure from the usual Bordeaux-dominant list.

Notably, a quick scan over the tables, printed in full in the December edition of the drinks business (and November’s issue of the Hong Kong edition) attests to the rising demand for Burgundy, confirming the Asian collector’s thirst for famous growers along the Côte d’Or.

But the boost to Burgundy is not the only development – Right Bank Bordeaux also seems to be performing well.

Benefiting from high scores, scarcity, and, in the case of Pavie and Angélus, an upgrade in the St-Emilion reclassification, this area is seemingly en vogue.

Also conspicuous is the decline in power of the first growths. An increasing sense that these brands, particularly Lafite, are too costly in proportion to their peers has led to a significant price drop on the secondary market.

Meanwhile, demand has shifted towards lesser and cheaper châteaux deemed capable of making first growth quality wine.

Such interest has also extended into fine wine power brands from outside Bordeaux, particularly Italian regions Tuscany and Piedmont, as well as the Northern Rhône, and Champagne.

In essence, the search for value has encouraged collectors to look more broadly.

Finally, there’s a bolt from the blue this year: newcomer Clos Fourtet is 2012’s top performer in terms of price appreciation, and has entered the top 100 at number 55.

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