A well-meant piece of advice from wine connoisseurs is to leave good vintages that will keep for a long time in the cellar for a few years. But the important thing is not to forget about insuring them. Wine is therefore included in household contents insurance. It is thus important to include the value of your wine collection in the sum insured for household contents insurance. Household contents insurance covers damage resulting from fire, water or theft. If you keep an inventory, update it, and also take photographs you will be well equipped in the event of a claim.

As wine does not come under valuables insurance, only its official market value is insured and not the collector’s value – even if this may be much higher.

Optimum insurance cover with «all risks»

With a select range of wines, however, more can happen than is covered by simple household contents insurance. For instance if a fine bottle slips from your hand or if the wine rack collapses. It is worthwhile to take out all-risks insurance for such eventualities. Risks that are not insured include temperature fluctuations, the effects of weather or light, plus ageing, wear and tear, and inner spoilage.

Good to know: If a third party suffers an accident in your wine cellar, he/she or his/her liability insurance must cover the claim.

Selling wine as a secondary occupation

The quality and resulting price of the wine is determined at the discretion of the consumer and producer and is not checked by the insurer. Even a part-time wine producer has to amend the sum of his household contents insurance for his production and a small inventory.