When you buy En Primeur, this means you’re buying a wine before it’s been bottled, straight from the producer. While this system started in Bordeaux, it has now been adopted in Burgundy, the Rhône Valley, and Italy.

The benefit of purchasing wines En Primeur is that you can secure a price exclusive of Duty and VAT, which you won’t have to pay until you withdraw them. The wines are usually shipped from the producers between eight to 18 months after the vintage, depending on the region.

Wines that are purchased En Primeur are still with the producer, usually still in casks. When they are ready, the producer will bottle and ship them. When the wines arrive in the UK, they will be stored In Bond, meaning no UK Duty and VAT has been paid on them. (Duty and VAT will only need to be paid when the wines are withdrawn.)

We’ll let you know when your wines arrive, giving you the option to withdraw them and have them delivered to you, store them, or list them for sale with BBX, our fine wine exchange. If you plan to keep them stored in our warehouse, bear in mind that you’ll have to pay for our storage service. Details on this and current rates can be found here.

If you’re interested in building a collection of fine wine, it makes sense to buy En Primeur. The En Primeur release price is usually the best price for a wine; buying En Primeur is your best chance to secure highly sought-after wines for your collection, especially if they are produced in very small quantities.

There’s also a more personal side to buying En Primeur: investing in a particular producer, and in a particular year, gives you a strong sense of connection with the wine, adding to its appeal. What’s more, you’re supporting the producer now, before they’ve bottled their wines. This lets them invest in their vineyards, winemaking, and the estate’s long-term future.

When you buy a wine from us En Primeur, the prices quoted are In Bond. This price includes the cost of shipping to our UK warehouses and delivery to you. It also includes insurance: wines are insured at the original invoice value until ownership of the wines passes to you. At this point, they are insured at current market prices in the event of loss or damage.

The price does not include Duty and VAT. These costs only need to be paid when the wines are withdrawn from Bond.

Duty and VAT

The new duty rates, effective August 1, 2023, are detailed in the table below. Duty is calculated based on these rates, with an additional 20% VAT applied to the duty amount.

From now until February 1, 2025, wines with an Alcohol By Volume (ABV) ranging from 11.5% to 14.5% will be subject to duty charges based on an assumed ABV of 12.5%.

En Primeur wines are usually connected to a specific vintage, with a set closing date for orders. The relevant closing dates will always be included in our specific vintage brochure, or on our website. We’ll indicate an anticipated date by when we expect the vintage to be bottled and shipped to the UK. Exactly when the wines are shipped is down to when the producer thinks they’re ready, so we can't guarantee exact dates.

After your wines are shipped to the UK, they’ll be entered directly into your cellar, In Bond. Once the wines are in the warehouse, we’ll let you know by email. You’ll need to pay a storage charge for every case you keep in our Bonded warehouses, but we won’t charge you initial rent until your account’s cyclical annual rent date. For more information on our storage charges, find out more here.

Wines lying abroad (WLA) refers to wine that has been bottled but is sold at In Bond prices. This means that no UK Duty or VAT is being paid on it until it’s withdrawn later down the line. When wines are lying abroad, this usually indicates that they’re being stored with the producer or that they’re being shipped to our warehouses.

Explore our latest En Primeur offers here.