CorkonomicsThe economics of wine production, collection, and vineyards
The numbers
Vineyard land · Pauillac≈$2,798,250 a hectare▼ down 17% on 20232024Opening price · Château Lafite Rothschild 2025≈$376 a bottle▲ up 17% on the year beforeSold at auction · Romanée-Conti Grand Cru, DRC 2019$22,917 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Burgundy grand cru (Pinot Noir)$48–283US duty on wine from · Canada+50%since Aug 2026Everyday bottle in a US shop$13.77 a litre▼ down 1.3% in a yearSep 2026Vineyard land · Margaux≈$1,567,020 a hectare▼ down 7% on 20232024Opening price · Château Cheval Blanc 2025≈$376 a bottle▲ up 22% on the year beforeSold at auction · La Tâche Grand Cru, DRC 2018$5,417 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Champagne prestige cuvée$26–89US duty on wine from · Australia+12.5%since Jul 2026Vineyard land · Côte-Rôtie≈$1,511,055 a hectare▲ up 8% on 20232024Opening price · Château Mouton Rothschild 2025≈$336 a bottle▲ up 19% on the year beforeSold at auction · Richebourg Grand Cru, DRC 2012$3,542 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Bordeaux classified growth (2nd–5th)$17–61US duty on wine from · New Zealand+12.5%since Jul 2026Vineyard land · Côte de Nuits grand cru≈$7,275,450 a hectare2019Opening price · Château Palmer 2025≈$268 a bottle▼ down 19% on the year beforeVineyard land · Pomerol≈$2,238,600 a hectare2023
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Saint-Émilion

The Right Bank's largest fine-wine appellation, with a classification revised roughly every decade — and abandoned by its top estates in 2022.

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Saint-Émilion
JLPC · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Saint-Émilion is about 5,400 hectares in the grand cru appellation. Its classification (Premier Grand Cru Classé A and B, Grand Cru Classé) is revised periodically; Cheval Blanc, Ausone and Angélus withdrew from the 2022 edition. Land values span from a few hundred thousand euros per hectare for grand cru vineyard to figures approaching Pomerol's for the plateau's best sites.

The essentials

Economics in brief

Saint-Émilion is about 5,400 hectares in the grand cru appellation. Its classification (Premier Grand Cru Classé A and B, Grand Cru Classé) is revised periodically; Cheval Blanc, Ausone and Angélus withdrew from the 2022 edition. Land values span from a few hundred thousand euros per hectare for grand cru vineyard to figures approaching Pomerol's for the plateau's best sites.

Key facts

Area (grand cru)
≈ 5,400 haCIVB
Classification
Revised 2012, 2022; Cheval Blanc and Ausone withdrew in 2022
Dominant grape
Merlot, then Cabernet Franc

The numbers, for the curious

All regions →
InputLowMidHighUnitSource
Barrel aging before bottling2024 161922monthsEstate technical sheets
New French oak barrique (225 l)2025 8001,0501,300EUR/barrelCooperage price lists and trade report…
Importer + retailer margin2024 254260% on costMerchant price lists vs release prices
Négociant margin on the Place de Bordeaux2024 101520% of ex-château priceTrade reporting on the Place de Bordea…
Bulk red Bordeaux AOC, per tonneau of 900 litres2025 7939431,000EUR/tonneauCIVB bulk-wine prices for the 2025–26 …
Hand harvest2024 2,5003,7505,000EUR/haTrade reporting on Médoc harvest labou…
Vineyard labour and operations, classified growth2024 15,00022,50030,000EUR/ha/yearEstate interviews and CIVB cost survey…
Vineyard land, Saint-Émilion2024 150,000250,0002,500,000EUR/haSAFER 2024
Vineyard land, generic Bordeaux AOC2024 4,0008,00014,000EUR/haSAFER 2024
Bottle, cork, capsule, label, case2025 368EUR/bottleSupplier price lists
Yield at classified growths2024 303845hl/haEstate technical sheets and appellatio…

Where the inputs come from

  1. Estate technical sheets (first growths 18–22 months)
  2. Cooperage price lists and trade reporting (Wine Industry Network, Wines & Vines), 2024–2025
  3. Merchant price lists vs release prices
  4. Trade reporting on the Place de Bordeaux (Liv-ex, Decanter)
  5. CIVB bulk-wine prices for the 2025–26 campaign, as reported by Vitisphere, 19 November 2025
  6. Trade reporting on Médoc harvest labour
  7. Estate interviews and CIVB cost surveys as reported in the trade press
  8. SAFER / FNSAFER, Le prix des terres 2024 — the official 2024 vineyard-value table (Décision du 26 août 2025, from SAFER data) as reproduced by Fidecorex, 10 February 2026
  9. Supplier price lists; heavy glass and wooden cases at the top
  10. Estate technical sheets and appellation maxima (Pauillac AOC max 57 hl/ha)

Producers

Saint-Émilion
La Grande Muraille (The Great Wall), remains of a Dominican convent (13th… JLPC · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Saint-Émilion
View of the rooftops of Saint-Émilion and the vineyards surrounding the town. Josep M. Gracia · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
The regionBordeauxThe home of the classic red blend.About the region

Sources

  1. Appellation fact sheets, CIVB / INAO, 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2026.
  2. Le prix des terres — vignes, SAFER / FNSAFER, 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2026. FNSAFER figures as reproduced in the official 2024 vineyard-value table (Décision du 26 août 2025), on a page that opens from outside France.
Last reviewed: September 2026Report an error on this page