Is Wine a Good Investment?

Alexander Westgarth of Westgarth Wine Investment Brokers Believes the Right Wine Investment is a Very Smart Market Play.

Their are so many wines on the market nowadays. There is no shortage of wineries in the United States or abroad and so many highly rated wines and even more lower rated wines.

Shelves and shelves of 2 buck Chuck and $7.99 to $12.99 specials from all sorts of diverse wineries and companies that seem to rely on cool names and bottle art rather than particularly quality wine.

Alexander Westgarth of Westgarth Fine Wine Investments Interview

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I have to say that I had little or more like, no knowledge of the wine investment industry. I do have some friends in the industry and had heard stories of wine fraud that cost some investors a lot of money…

So like most I believe I really had no concept of what the industry was all about.

Enter Westgarth Fine Wine Brokers… I get a chance to speak with Alexander Westgarth who is a fine wine broker of 10 years and only deals with a very small, high quality group of fine wines. Alexander believes that the smaller fine wine market is a safe and stable investment market that can be entered relatively easily and can provide good and stable returns for the investor.

It was great getting to speak with Alexander who sheds much light and information on an industry that claims quite high returns even through some of our worst financial times and recessions.

At any rate, this is a wonderful glimpse into a word few know about and there is enough information here to start to find out if this type of investment may be right for you. – JW

Some of the questions we talk about…

What constituents a fine wine?
How much of a return can I expect on my wine?
How long should I keep hold of my wine before selling it?
What happens when I want to sell my wine?
What guarantee do I have that I’m getting what I paid for?
What’s the minimum investment I can make?
How are you different from other US fine wine investment companies and funds?
Is this kind of investment completely tax free?
Can I drink my wine?
How will I know when to sell?
Does wine ever go down in value?
Where are my wines kept?

Alexander Westgarth

At 31 years of age the company’s founder Alexander Westgarth has already achieved an impressive 10 years of wine investment brokerage in London. The contacts he has established during this period have opened up access to vast quantities of the most prized wines—including those controlled by négociants, wholesalers and private collectors.

QUOTES ABOUT FINE WINE AS AN INVESTMENT

“Wine is one of the last great commodities in the world to be dragged out of the dark ages and traded on a global index.”

Claer Barrett, The Financial Times, December 5, 2011

“Fine wine is also a better investment than equities and commodities… Wine not only managed to weather the recession and the stock market crash, it thrived in comparison with the others.”

Jeremy Gaunt, Reuters, March 1, 2011

“Liv-ex’s Fine Wine 100 Index, the London International Vintners Exchange tracks the price movement of the world’s 100 most sought after wines.”

William Lyons, The Wall Street Journal, September 19, 2010

“… a performance analysis of fine wine since 1950 indicates an average annual return of 15 percent.”

William Beck, Financial Times special report, May 20, 2008

“Keeping fine wine stored in a quality cellar like Corsham can add as much as 20 percent come auction day.”

Jamie Merrill, The Independent. January 13, 2012

Westgarth Wine Investment Brokers

Westgarth provides a fine wine brokerage service that brings the high-profit potential of the UK wine market to American investors. The United Kingdom boasts the world’s largest wine commodity market, advanced infrastructure and a government-regulated system that documents wines’ provenance. With these unrivalled benefits, there is no better route for any wine investor wishing to secure maximum returns than via the UK.

We source wines mainly in the UK and France, and bring you storage at the world’s greatest facility in Wiltshire, England. Come sale time, we can connect you with a global pool of buyers to maximize your chances of a quick and profitable sale—thanks to the portal of the UK market.

Our years of experience in UK wine investment put us in a perfect position to guide you to financial success in this proven area of opportunity.

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Disclaimer: On Purpose Magazine does is not a broker or investment consultant and investing can involve risk. Please seek the advise competent advisor or consultation on all investment matters. On Purpose Magazine also does not make any claim to the truth behind any claims of returns made in this article, video or audio.

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Thank You to

The Blaine Group, Inc.

A Total Communications Agency
8665 Wilshire Blvd., Suite #301, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
O 310/360-1499 · F 310/360-1498
E-mail: devon@blainegroupinc.com

George Lachkar co-owner of Le Petit Bistro Restaurant in Los Angeles talks to us about all the new changes at this Los Angeles landmark.

North La Cienega Blvd., used to be restaurant row in West Hollywood, but over the years many of the classic restaurants are now gone. Le Petit Bistro has survived the dips in the economy with a Paris bistro charm and great affordable food. Le Petit Bistro allows you to drop the fad food doldrums and enjoy a wonderfully comfortable, yet upscale, meal experience.

Georges Lachkar of Le Petit Bistro Interview

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Le Petit Bistro is located at 631 N. La Cienega Blvd in West Hollywood. (310) 289-9797

The first thing I noticed when I walked into Le Petit Bistro is the comfortable, intimate and kinda romantic mood of the restaurant.

It was a great evening and the valet parking in front of the restaurant was a nice touch as I really do not like searching for parking in West Hollywood.

I sat next to the bar and faced the door so I could watch for a friend who was arriving slightly behind me.

As I sat waiting, I got a chance to look around and check out the place. It has a very pleasant and inviting atmosphere and the other patrons were all busy drinking, eating and talking. The noise level was not too high so it makes it a great place to meet and talk while enjoying your meal.

The staff was fun, friendly and very accommodating.

The family at Entourage

I did get one of those wobbly tables, but the waitress had one of the waiters put something under one of the legs which fixed the issue entirely.

I had a hard time choosing what to order, but decided on the Braised Veal Short Ribs. The meal was amazing and everything was cooked to perfection.

After dinner I got the chance to sit down with Georges Lachkar one of the co-owners of the restaurant and after listening to his wonderful stories, had to have him come on and talk about the restaurant and the history of his family who have owned several successful and well known restaurants in Los Angeles.

The interview was real fun. Georges has a thick accent and has all kind of wonderful stories to tell. Take a listen and next time you are in Los Angeles, stop in West Hollywood to check out this amazing place. – JW

Le Petit Bistro
631 N La Cienega Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Cuisine: French
Dress: Casual
Take-out: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Takes Reservations: Yes
Catering: Yes

“If you ever fantasize about sitting in a lively little bistro on the left bank, you will love Le Petit Bistro. The narrow, crowded little space has dark woods, the old French ad posters, the thightly squeezed tables, and lots of people. We appreciate the authentic French bistro food at reasonable prices.”

Henri Fonda and Georges Lachkar

Georges on The Mike Douglas Show

Georges and Julio Eglesias

Georges with US Senator Joe Leberman

Located in the heart of West Hollywood, Le Petit Bistro restaurant offers traditional French cuisine. Guests can enjoy lunch or dinner in the charming indoor setting or on the outdoor patio-garden; sunny during the day and candlelit at night.

It takes savvy and sophisticated restaurateurs to stay in tune with the pulse of a city such as Los Angeles… and to evolve so that they continue to provide what their customers want.

Witness the establishments that have come and gone through the years.

Yet the Lachkar family, whose Le Petit Bistro on La Cienega is the last of

the European restaurants on “the row,” have successfully served Los Angeleans for 40 years… 20 of them at Le Petit Bistro.

They started with La Potiniere on Beverly Blvd. in 1973, opened the Entourage on Third Street in 1978, Cassis on Third Street and Mon Café in Sherman Oaks in 1985,LePetit Bistro on La Cienega in 1993 and in Sherman Oaks in 1994, La Mer on La Cienega in 1995, and Le Petit Zinc inBrentwood in2005.

By popular demand, beginning on April 7, you can enjoy the fabulous traditional French bistro fare of Le Petit Bistro seven nights a week.

Start with a fabulous appetizer… perhaps Eggplant Tart or French onion soup. Enjoy such typical French entrees as roast chicken or steak

with frites. Savor specials such as black mussels poulette or a baked pork shank. Complete your evening with a delicious tart tatin or pot de chocolat.

Top Rated on Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/le-petit-bistro-west-hollywood

Check out the following:

Free Corkage on Sunday
Tapas Menu
Half Orders
Full Bar
Take Out
Private Room (Groups)
Open Late
Open on Sundays

Check out the Full Menu: www.lepetitbistro.us/menu.html

Georges Lachkar with one of his sculptors

Georges Lachkar

Born in Casa Blanca in 1945 and at age 12, he moved to and was raised in the south of France. Georges father passed away and so in July of 1967, Georges came to America with his mother and brothers.

George had gained his degree in electronics, but did not speak English when he arrived in the U. S. so he went to city college to learn English and pumped gas at World Gas on La Cienega and he finally got an electronics job at Panavision.

George Takei and Georges Lachkar

Georges father had a restaurant in Casa Blanca and so the family had was familiar with that business early on. Georges worked for Panavision in the daytime and worked as a waiter at night. He worked at many different restaurants including Chasen’s, The Portifino Room and Chianti. Georges decided to quit Panavision and work full time in the restaurant business.

Geoges Lachkar and patrick swayze

Georges brothers also worked at many well known restaurants around town until they all saved enough money to start La Potiniere on Beverly Blvd. in 1973.

They sold that restaurant in 1978 and bought a lot on 3rd street and started the Entourage the famous restaurant next to the Record Plant where you would see Rod Stewart, Rolling Stones, Burt Bacharach, Tom Petty and many many others came for lunch and dinner. In fact it was called studio D by the locals and workers at the Record Plant.

After owning a few restaurants like La Mer, Georges and his brothers started Le Petit Bistro and they have been there for over 27 years.

More Restaurant Pictures: [CLICK HERE]

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Thank You to

The Blaine Group, Inc.

A Total Communications Agency
8665 Wilshire Blvd., Suite #301, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
O 310/360-1499 · F 310/360-1498
E-mail: devon@blainegroupinc.com