While world stock markets flirt with meltdown, George Handjinicolaou is happy with one part of his portfolio. It’s not, as you might guess, Lehman Brothers or AIG. Instead, the London-based financial services executive ponders fine wines such as ’99 Haut-Brion and 2000 Mouton-Rothschild. The vintages are housed with 300 other valuable cases in a climate-controlled New York warehouse, getting tastier – and pricier – by the day.

What began as a hobby, after Mr Handjinicolaou toured the chateaux of Bordeaux in the late 1980s, has developed into a serious investment, representing almost 10 per cent of his portfolio.