Introducing: Hiles' Wine Collection

The wine collection of Marcus Hiles has been built up over 30 years.  Marcus is known throughout the wine world as a savvy collector, focusing on rare vintages from the Bordeaux and Burgundy regions of France.  His collection spans thousands of bottles and hundreds of desirable vintages, including rare champagnes from some of the storied producers. As in his wine collecting, Marcus also applies his vast skill in researching market conditions for his real estate ventures.  He is the founder and CEO of two prominent property development firms in Texas, Western Rim Property Services and Mansions Custom Homes.

Market trends dictate actions, and no one understands this better than Mr. Hiles. During the course of his business career, he has identified prevailing market shifts and has moved to capitalize on them.  In wine collecting, the same skills apply.  One of the most interesting trends to emerge in the wine industry recently is the phenomenon of canned wines.  Purists may scoff at the idea of wine in cans, but the industry is enjoying tremendous growth in this sector. In 2016 alone, sales of canned wines shot up to over $14 million, a 125% increase from the year before.  One may remember the popularity of boxed wines, which were met with disbelief at first but went on to captivate the wine drinking population.  So too are canned wines, reaching a young, well-heeled market who appreciates quality and value in those small aluminum cans.

The trend may be new, but the concept of canned wines is not.  Several major retailers have produced canned wine since 2009. The increase in popularity of these wines stems from their convenience; a can of wine can be opened anytime, anywhere, and the problems of storing an unfinished bottle are eliminated. No opener or special skill are required to sip from a can of wine – their portability and surprising quality have led critics to change their thinking about these wines.  In fact, many producers of canned wines cannot meet the ever-increasing demand, and those wines are selling out in cities across the United States.

Serious wine collectors, however, understand that the bottle is still king.  Rare vintages from years gone by are the most desired in collections.  Marcus has amassed a small fortune in wines from fabled producers like Domaine de la Romanee-Conti and Chateau Lafite Rothschild.  Champagnes from Krug and Dom Perignon round out his impressive collection. He stores the wines in a carefully-controlled facility called the Magnificent Cellar, which can be found beneath the sprawling Dallas-area estate he calls home.  The cellar is cooled and humidified by an underground river, providing perfect storage conditions.  As the markets dictate, he periodically opens his cellar and selects lots for sale to wine collectors from around the world.  In 2010, he did just that, rounding up 6500 bottles, or about 20% of his collection, for auction with Sotheby’s Hong Kong. He had learned that Asian collectors were clamoring for certain vintages stretching back to the 1960s, especially from French vintners.  In the resulting sale of wine lots, Mr. Hiles and Sotheby’s netted $13.8 million, including auction, storage, and transportation fees.  This eclipsed previous wine sales records and far exceeded the pre-sale estimation of value, which was pegged at just under $5 million. The sale set off a trend for Sotheby’s Hong Kong, which leapfrogged its sister New York auction unit to become the dominant wine auctioneer in the world.