Wine storage provider Wine Ark has revealed the most sought-after wines of the last 12 months, highlighting the most collected brands, varietals and regions of 195,000 bottles catalogued in 2024.
The most collected wine of the year was Margaret River wine Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2021, with Chardonnay making up 20.6 per cent of the wines catalogued by Wine Ark in 2024, and Leeuwin Estate being the ninth most collected producer.
Although he was surprised to see Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay named the most collected wine of the year, Wine Ark CEO John Cuff said the result was indicative of a growing awareness of Chardonnay’s age-ability.
“Over the years, we’ve observed a marked increase in the appetite for age-worthy Chardonnay. However, I fully expected a red wine to take the top spot this year. There are over seven Chardonnays in the Top 25 wines added in 2024 including four in the top 10.”
This year, the most collected wine producer was Penfolds, followed by Rockford, Tyrrell’s, Lake’s Folly and Mount Mary in the top five ranking.
The Barossa Valley was the most cellared region, making up 23.4 per cent of the wines catalogued by Wine Ark this year, followed by Margaret River (14.8 per cent), the Hunter Valley (12.3 per cent) and Yarra Valley (10.5 per cent).
Shiraz became the most collected varietal at 27.6 per cent, and following Chardonnay in second place was Pinot Noir at 18 per cent, Cabernet Sauvignon at 9.7 per cent and Cabernet Blend at seven per cent. The most common vintage added to the cellars was 2022, 2021 and 2023 respectively.
“It’s been a tough year for the wine trade. It’s heartening to see that the vast majority of wines purchased and stored at Wine Ark this year were produced by smaller, family-run wineries. While iconic names like Leeuwin, Giaconda, and Pierro Chardonnay dominate the top 10, I was truly blown away to see the 2022 Savaterre Chardonnay from Beechworth rank as the seventh most cellared wine of 2024,” Cuff explained.
Savaterre Owner and Winemaker, Keppell Smith, added: “Well, well! That’s a surprise for such a small producer. We put a lot of effort into delivering a great wine. I’m flattered and thrilled that people are using excellent storage for our wines. It’s terrific to be in such great company.”
Over the course of the year, Wine Ark cellared 195,000 bottles in 15 facilities across five states, housing more than one million bottles in total. Despite a challenging year for the wine industry, between 2023 and 2024 the storage provider recorded an increase of 15 per cent in the number of bottles placed into storage.
Cuff stated: “There was a 15 per cent increase in the number of bottles placed into storage from 2023 to 2024. Whether this reflects clients taking advantage of discounted parcels from retailers and wineries, or a shift toward purchasing larger volumes at lower price points to save for later.”
