2025 Liv-ex Classification: Burgundy Tops Prices, Bordeaux Dominates in Numbers

Despite a post-boom “bubble squeeze” following the surge in high-end Burgundy prices, the region has managed to hold its ground at the very top of the market, even as the global fine wine environment has cooled.

According to The 2025 Liv-ex Classification, released recently, Burgundy accounts for nearly 69% of wines in the highest-value First Tier, underscoring its dominance in the ultra-premium segment. By contrast, Bordeaux, while prolific across the secondary and tertiary tiers, struggles to match Burgundy’s value at the very top.

The Liv-ex Classification is based solely on price, measuring the average trade prices of wines actively bought and sold on the exchange between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025. Inspired by Bordeaux’s 1855 Classification, it divides wines into five tiers according to price bands. First launched in 2009 with a focus only on Bordeaux, the classification was expanded in 2017 to cover other regions. This year’s list spans ten countries, a record, though it comes against a difficult backdrop: between June 2023 and June 2025, the Liv-ex 1000 Index fell by about 23 percent, lowering entry thresholds across all tiers and reflecting the broader downturn in fine wine prices worldwide.

At the entry level, the Fifth Tier includes wines with average prices between £284 and £354 per case (12×750ml). The Fourth Tier spans £355 to £496, while the Third Tier covers £497 to £780. The Second Tier ranges from £786 to £2,837, and the First Tier begins at £2,839, with the highest achieving far more.

France remains firmly in the lead, with 207 of the 332 wines listed, giving it a share of over 62 percent. Bordeaux contributed the largest number with 106 wines, accounting for more than a third of the total, while Burgundy followed with 67. Italy ranked second overall with 86 wines, highlighting its rapid ascent in the fine wine segment. Champagne added 16, Rhône 16, and the United States 15. France, Italy, the U.S., and Spain all increased their representation compared with 2023, while other regions fell back. Australia, for instance, dropped from five wines to just two, a reflection of buyers’ preference for “safer,” more established regions in an uncertain market.

Burgundy’s supremacy is clearest at the top. Of the wines in the First Tier, 33 are from Burgundy, giving the region an overwhelming 68.75 percent share. By comparison, Burgundy had 28 wines in the Second Tier but very few in the lower ranks—five in the Third, one in the Fourth, and none in the Fifth. Bordeaux, long the traditional fine wine powerhouse, managed only ten wines in the First Tier, far fewer than Burgundy, but showed greater distribution across price levels, with 37 in the Second Tier and 27 in the Third. Italy displayed a similar pattern, with 42 and 20 wines in the Second and Third Tiers, but only nine in the First.

The dominance of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC) is unmistakable. Romanée-Conti, with an average price of £172,461, sits well above any other wine on the list. La Tâche (£45,061) and Richebourg (£31,960) complete the top three. Pétrus, averaging £31,124, placed fourth, higher than any Bordeaux First Growth, and along with Le Pin was one of only two Bordeaux wines in the top ten. By comparison, Latour (£5,070) and Lafite (£4,514) ranked just 36th and 39th.

California also put in a strong showing. Screaming Eagle, with its flagship averaging £23,881 and second wine £6,877, along with Harlan, Promontory (£11,303), and Scarecrow (£6,830), all posted higher average prices than Bordeaux’s First Growths. Some labels, such as Leroy Musigny and Liber Pater, were priced even higher but excluded due to a lack of trading activity.

Entry into the classification requires more than just prestige. Eligible wines must have been traded in 750ml or 1.5L formats between July 2024 and June 2025, with only the past ten vintages considered. At least five vintages must have traded during the period, with no fewer than 12 separate transactions recorded. A single rare vintage fetching an extraordinary price, therefore, is not enough to secure inclusion.