Lock Up Your Wine in a Cabernet

Most wine fanatics will have an extensive collection of plonk to their names, whether they prefer a bold Merlot or a fruity Chardonnay. Good wine sells for a lot of money, depending on which region it was made, what year it was bottled and what condition it's in- which is why wine collectors should get cover for their collection should the worst happen to their vino.

Many will assume that their wine collection will be covered in their home insurance policy, however if you have bottles that could be worth a lot of money you could need single item cover, or a separate policy for your whole collection. First of all you should get your wine valued. It is important to give your insurer an accurate figure so they can give you a quote that will cover your whole collection. You should then get your wine valued regularly; notifying your insurer whether your wines have increased or decreased in value. This will ensure that your wine will always have a sufficient amount of cover needed.

Not every insurer will cover your wine collection, so you should shop around to compare home insurance policies that do. Your insurer will almost always ask how you store your wine, so it is important to demonstrate that you're taking care of your collection in order to get the cheapest policy. You should store your wine in a cool, dark place as heat and/or light can damage the quality of your wine. For example, if you were to leave a bottle of wine on a window sill, the heat and light from the sun could potentially cause the cork to crack, ruining the quality of the wine. You should also store your wine somewhere where it will not get disturbed by everyday life, for example, a toddler who may knock your wine rack over. Keep your bottles out of reach of children, and perhaps attach your wine rack to the wall for extra protection.

If you take all of these measures you should get a reasonable quote from your insurer. Your quote will of course depend on other factors of your home, such as security. Wine may not be high up on the list that you would assume a burglar would target, but a burglar who is savvy on what is valuable may think to hit the wine rack. Your quote will be even lower if you have good security measures for the rest of your house, such as secure door and window locks, an alarm system and perhaps joining a neighbourhood watch scheme. Compare home insurance policies at moneysupermarket.com, where customers save an average of £131 on the home insurance premium.

A Home Insurance guide, written by Rachael Miller, a web author at moneysupermarket.com.