Are old, rare wine labels worth any money?
Hello there! I'm Dr. Vinifera, but you can call me Vinny. Ask me your toughest wine questions, from the fine points of etiquette to the science of winemaking. And don't worry, I'm no wine snob—you can also ask me those "dumb questions" you're too embarrased to ask your wine geek friends! I hope you find my answers educational, empowering and even amusing. And don't forget to check out my most asked questions and my full archives for all my Q&A classics.
Dear Dr. Vinny,
I have a collection of quite rare (or at the very least, quite old and cool) wine labels. Are they worth anything?
—Samantha, Clare Valley, Australia
Dear Samantha,
Wine labels used to be a fun way to collect vinous memories. Back when I was a younger wine advice columnist, wine labels were glued on in such a way that you could soak them off in once piece and put them in a scrapbook. That also meant they might slide off in an ice bucket, or if a lot of condensation got on the bottle.
But most labels eventually moved to a sticker-like application that’s more difficult to remove in one piece. That was right around the time we all started carrying phones with cameras in our pockets. Now, collecting wine memories can be as simple as snapping a photo.
Even at the height of soaking and collecting wine labels, there was never a big resale market for someone else’s labels. (Most of the allure of collecting them comes from the fact that you enjoyed the bottle yourself!)
That said, you might find some for sale on online auction sites. In my experience, most labels are listed for a couple of dollars, so don’t expect to retire on the proceeds from your collection.
First-growth Bordeaux labels from particularly good vintages in mint condition can fetch a higher price tag (though who knows if they’re actually selling). Château Mouton-Rothschild, which features a different artist on the label each vintage, seems particularly collectible. So, if your collection is heavy on Mouton, you might be in luck! Otherwise, I say keep your labels. Maybe your kids or grandkids will enjoy looking at them one day—hopefully while sharing a bottle of wine with you.
—Dr. Vinny
