In the same way as jewelery and works of art, Crédit municipal de Dijon offers individuals the opportunity to estimate, sell or pledge their bottles of wine. An operation “my aunt” took place in Nuits-Saint-Georges this Saturday.
He arrives with a case of three bottles of wine and a magnum. Max, who lives near Nuits-Saint-Georges, has heard of this initiative by the Municipal Credit of the Dijon metropolis: this Saturday in Nuits, you could come and have your bottles of wine appraised free of charge by an expert in order to know the price. Then, visitors are free to pledge their wine in exchange for a sum of money, or to entrust it for an auction, or simply to leave with a clearer idea of the value of their bottles.
The “Saturdays of my aunt” (the nickname of the Municipal Credit) therefore stopped for the first time in Nuits-Saint-Georges. “The idea is to show that pawnbroking is not just about gold objects or people in financial difficulty“, explains Grégoire Asselineau, managing director of Crédit municipal de Dijon. “Some come just for an estimate, others need money, still others want to free up space in their cellar. We also have agricultural workers, for example, to whom we offered a good bottle.”
Those who decide to pawn their wines sign a renewable six-month contract. Interest rates are zero if the amount of the loan does not exceed 100 euros. Beyond that, it varies from 6 to 10% depending on the amount lent. If the loan is not reimbursed at the end of the seventh month, the Municipal Credit puts the goods up for auction.
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This Saturday, most visitors did not come for loans but rather for an estimate. A gentleman, who wishes to remain anonymous, brought a photo of the wines he wishes to sell:
“I want to part with part of my collection and I wanted to have a relatively accurate estimate of what this lot represented.”
“I can’t store more wine than I currently have. These bottles, I selected them, they have a story. I want to part with them to keep other bottles“, he justifies. His selection: a dozen great Bordeaux and Burgundy wines from the 90s. The verdict of the wine expert, Aymeric de Clouet: between 4,500 and 5,000 euros. The seller is satisfied: his wines will be auctioned in December.
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Others come simply out of curiosity, like this young dad who brings a Grand Echezeaux 2011. “It was a gift, I have a box of six, and I wanted to know.“Its bottle will be estimated at 350 euros.
After him, it’s Max’s turn. Seeing his small collection, Aymeric de Clouet smiles : “We have some nice things here.“In this case, a Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er cru 1999 from the Prieuré-Roch estate which will be estimated at 250-300 euros, a magnum of Gevrey-Chambertin La combe aux Moines from the René Bouvier estate estimated at around 100 euros, a Corton 2011 estimated between 120 and 150 euros and a Hospices de Nuits 1er cru cuvée Fagon 2009, estimated at 50-60 euros.”I know they are good bottles and I don’t see the point of drinking them alone. Especially the magnum!”laughs Max.
“I’ve had them for some time, and I didn’t know where to go or who to contact to have them appraised and sold. Today I saw that there was this expertise on site and as I am near Nuits, it was convenient.”
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Every year, Crédit municipal de Dijon grants 3,000 pledge loans. “80% of our activity represents small loans, of 600 euros on average“, explains François Deseille, deputy finance officer at the town hall of Dijon and vice-president of Crédit municipal dijonnais.
“Some people make very small loans of 20 euros, they give us Mont-Blanc pens or lighters. 15% of our customers make loans below 100 euros.”
In addition to bottles of wine, Crédit municipal can appraise and pledge jewelry, watches, paintings, works of art, and is considering doing the same for connected devices. In the meantime, wine owners who decide to hand over their bottles to Crédit municipal for the end-of-year auction “can be reassured“, says François Deseille. “We have a cellar on our premises intended to preserve these wines in optimal conditions until the auction.“
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