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For wine collectors and auctioneers alike, there’s no better place to be than Hong Kong, writes Alasdair Nicol

If you want tips on investing your money, I would usually be the last person you should talk to. However, I can offer one piece of advice. Investing in wine is almost a sure thing.

How do I know this? Because of a recent email I received from a company called The Wine Investment Fund. Based in London, the fund will buy, hold and sell some of the finest wines in the world on your behalf, in exchange for a large investment. For instance, right now they are promising to double your money over five years by investing in fine Bordeaux.

However, without a pile of free cash lying about, this got me thinking: how can I get my hands on rare and fine wines for investment, in order to make sure that when my stocks and shares soon tank, the kids will still have the chance to attend school?

It seems the best way to buy these wines is at auction and, luckily for us, Hong Kong is fast becoming the hub (yes, another one!) for Asian wine auctions. In May, Asia’s largest ever wine auction was hosted by Acker, Merrall and Condit (America’s oldest wine shop) at the Island Shangri-La. The event boasted record sales of $64 million, while the most expensive lot was 12 bottles of Domaine de la Romanee Conti 1990, which sold for a smashing sum of $1.89 million.

Last Saturday, Acker, Merrall and Condit held another well-received auction in the Shangri-La, which will be followed by a Christie’s event this Saturday, to be held in the Grand Hall of the Convention Centre. The Christie’s auction will feature historic bottles of ChateauLatour, with the 1865 vintage expected to fetch up to (and possibly beyond) $65,000 per bottle. On December 2, Bonhams will also host an auction, with the focus being rare and fine wines.

Clearly, auction houses are looking to exploit the region’s growing passion for wine, though in this current economic climate, they may have a hard time convincing buyers to part with their savings. Currently, there are plans for houses such as Zachy’s, Bonhams, Christies and Acker to host around two auctions each per year, as Asian buyers look to increase their wine portfolios.

Personally, I am looking forward to these grand sales. They give us all the opportunity to see the wines close up and, if we like, bid on and buy a piece of history. One that, I hope, will turn out to be a great investment for the future (and that of my children).