Luca Martini won the prestigious title of Best Sommelier in the World in 2013 from the World Sommelier Association, where contestants from 22 countries competed for the award. He searches for the finest wines on the international market, with a keen eye for Italian and French wines. He is now head of the Wine Department at Cambi Casa D’Aste, an Italian Auction House, and carries over 25 years of experience.
Ahead of Cambi’s ‘Precious and Collectable Wines’ Sale on 13 April, we sat down with Martini to gain more collecting insight.
Barnebys: Was there a wine that made you fall in love with fine wines and decide to become an expert?
Luca Martini: There are many wines that made me fall in love and decide to become a sommelier. I’m driven by research, especially when it comes to small wineries, and obviously the most famous wine territories too. One of the things that always stood out to me is how much work goes into each production, hence why I believe that we should always have respect for the glass of wine we’re enjoying. It’s been a long time since I’ve started cultivating my passion for wine, but it grows stronger everyday with each glass I taste.
What are some of the wines to look out for in your upcoming sale?
Some of the unmissable bottles from our next auction are the classic vintage wines from big household names coming from France, more precisely the Bordeaux bottles on sale. Above all, I would also recommend some of the whisky bottles coming up, very peculiar because they come in a format that has not been widely commercialised by one of the top connoisseurs and producers of Italian whisky.
What wines do you recommend for young collectors to start buying if they’re new to the world of fine wine?
One advice I would give young people is to first start collecting the younger wines coming from small productions. As it happens with any form of investment, the less a product is around, the bigger the market scarcity. Of course, a low repeatability rate generates an increase in prize, making for a steady investment. Another thing I would advise is to differentiate your investments, and, if you can, to also invest on the big recognisable names of the wine world, which always guarantee a return.
What are the benefits of investing in wine? What wines do you think always make for a reliable investment?
If you are truly passionate about wine, I must say that unfortunately the benefits of investing in wine are little, because you often risk drinking your investment! If instead you can manage to discipline your passion, there are enormous advantages in terms of profit. At the moment, I would suggest investing in the famous Piedmontese wines from the North of Italy, such as Barolo and Barbaresco, and the Super Tuscans such as Sassicaia, Orenellaia and Tignanello. They are evergreen investments with excellent performance over the years. If we want to move outside of Italy, Burgundy wines are very sought after and grow continuously, just as many other ‘New World’ denominations. Cheers!
