Vinovest review

What you can trade on Vinovest

• Wine
• Whiskey

Account types available with Vinovest

• Individual trading or managed accounts

Where Vinovest shines

Vinovest has helped make the once-exclusive world of fine wine and whiskey investing accessible to a wider group of investors. It offers:

• Investments available to all investors, accredited or not.
• A straightforward signup process you can complete in minutes.
• A beginner-friendly platform.
• The ability to sell your wine or whiskey anytime you want.

With the choice between a no-minimum trading account that lets you trade bottles of wine like stocks or a professionally managed account with a curated portfolio of whiskey and wine holdings, investors have multiple options for building fully insured fine wine and whiskey portfolios. And Vinovest handles all the sourcing, purchasing, storing and insuring of your wine or whiskey.

Where Vinovest falls short

Vinovest requires a $1,000 minimum for its managed wine portfolios and a $1,750 minimum for its managed whiskey portfolios, which may keep the platform out of reach for some investors. Beyond these minimum investments, Vinovest’s starter managed account comes with a 2.50% annual management fee, and transaction fees in its trading account will surely eat into profits. Vinovest charges a 2.5% buy-side trading fee, a 1% sell-side trading fee and a 1.5% yearly storage fee, billed monthly. However, you can receive 5% of all management fees if you turn on auto-invest, according to the Vinovest website.

Lastly, unlike its competitor Vint, Vinovest doesn’t offer equity shares or fractional offerings, which means you need enough money up front (the $1,000 or $1,750 minimum) to buy the bottles outright.

Vinovest’s fees

Account level	Minimum initial investment	Annual management fee	Features
Starter	$1,000	2.50%	Full insurance Enrollment in Vinovest’s carbon offset program
Plus	$10,000	2.35%	Starter tier features Access to portfolio manager biannual reviews Access to rare wines and new releases
Premium	$50,000	2.15%	Plus tier features Access to wine futures Access to customized portfolio construction options Access to rare, auction-only wines Exclusive invites to Vinovest wine tastings and events
Grand Cru	$250,000	1.90%	Premium tier features Preferred access to the rarest, most exclusive wine releases Personalized quarterly portfolio insight reports Access to the Vinovest Advisory Council

Wine trade fees

2.5% buy-side trading fee (includes 3 months of storage); 1% sell-side trading fee; 1.5% yearly storage fee, billed monthly

Is Vinovest legit?

Yes, Vinovest is a legitimate company. Founded in 2019, Vinovest is headquartered in Los Angeles, California and has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) since 2020. Vinovest has more than 150,000 registered users with over $100 million in assets under management, according to its website.

Vinovest’s platform is easy to use

Vinovest acts as both a portfolio manager and an exchange, allowing you to trade wines like stocks or have a personalized portfolio of wines or whiskey built and managed on your behalf. You can choose between a trading account or a managed account — or open both.

In either case, you own 100% of your wine and whiskey, and it’s fully insured. Vinovest also stores it on your behalf in bonded storage facilities in France, Denmark, Singapore, Hong Kong, the UK and the US. Bonded warehouses allow Vinovest to store your wine without payment of value-added taxes (VAT) and excise duty taxes. This means you can buy and sell bottles more cost-effectively than if you were to store your wines at home. These taxes only apply if you take delivery of your wine, which you can do at any time.

Signing up with Vinovest is simple and takes only minutes, and you can start trading immediately upon funding your account. In all, Vinovest’s platform is uncluttered and easy to navigate. It offers a clean, elegant design that’s familiar and user-friendly. For those who want to trade wines individually, each listing on its exchange is accompanied by a chart of its performance, Vinovest’s rationale behind the investment and scores from wine critics.

Vinvovest’s app store reviews

Google Play app reviews	4.3/5 stars based on over 9 reviews, as of July 2023
Apple App Store app reviews	4.6/5 stars based on over 180 reviews, as of July 2023

Vinovest’s customer support

How to open an account with Vinovest

1. Go to the Vinovest website, select Get started and choose between a wine or whiskey account.
2. Enter your name, phone number, email and password, and select Create Account. Alternatively, sign up using your Google login credentials.
3. Select Continue to build your portfolio. Provide information about your investing goals and timeline, and choose a portfolio.
4. Fund your account or skip for now.

Eligibility and required information

How safe is Vinovest?

Vinovest is considered safe and secure. The company uses OKTA, an American identity management service, as a third-party security partner to monitor and secure its site.

Frequently asked questions about Vinovest

Compare Vinovest to other alternative investing platforms

Finder Scores: What they mean

If you want peace of mind, this rating will give it to you. These products offer the best value and outcomes considering various product features, terms, conditions and price.

Well-balanced products that provide what you need, offering a healthy mix of competitive features at a good price. However, they're not quite the best in class.

Bottom line: You can find better, but these products still offer reasonable value and have the basics sorted.

These products may not offer much value in the long run, and there are better options available.