tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post4244177333358511500..comments2023-11-08T06:40:36.804+00:00Comments on investdrinks (blog): Winnington Fine Wines Ltd: 'leading wine broker' in less than two months!Jim's Loirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06696024920441263899noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-71762578959671377992013-03-25T09:29:30.272+00:002013-03-25T09:29:30.272+00:00Gexton. Many thanks for the codes. Gexton. Many thanks for the codes. Jim's Loirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06696024920441263899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-50826291958183681952013-03-21T20:38:29.489+00:002013-03-21T20:38:29.489+00:00They've anondoned ship at thier offices in can...They've anondoned ship at thier offices in canary wharf.<br />Didnt even leave a nice bottle of wine as a leavingg gift, but then why would you when you aint paid rent!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-82951831691649116772013-01-24T18:49:23.324+00:002013-01-24T18:49:23.324+00:00Anon. Obviously your decision if you decide to dea...Anon. Obviously your decision if you decide to deal with a company that uses cold calls. <br /><br />'But authorities are not stupid and if there was a problem then you would not be receiving any calls.' This type of wine investment is not regulated. If it was cold calls would be banned. Jim's Loirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06696024920441263899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-24254349977566074712013-01-24T17:42:29.708+00:002013-01-24T17:42:29.708+00:00I have been called by Winnington International and...I have been called by Winnington International and I am deciding to invest. I am very happy with the assistance that I have received.<br /><br />From my point of view if you are looking for negative things on the internet they will always be there to see.<br /><br />Do not forget that this is just a blog.<br /><br />Almost everything will have negative publicity and you will see it if you look.<br /><br />But authorities are not stupid and if there was a problem then you would not be receiving any calls.<br /><br />In my opinion go with what you think and believe to be true. <br /><br />I am a cautious person and I have have great assistance and will be purchasing through this company.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-8683912910863087872012-11-02T15:34:18.250+00:002012-11-02T15:34:18.250+00:00So true. They called me telling me my ISA was rubb...So true. They called me telling me my ISA was rubbish, which I must admit, I do know. The chap who called me, Rahmi something, said they were called Rimmington then I got their brochure and it stated Winnington. Obvious language/pronounciation issues their end. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-65138697402394540832012-10-29T13:16:03.118+00:002012-10-29T13:16:03.118+00:00I had a call from Adam Brown telling me how my uti...I had a call from Adam Brown telling me how my utilities share portfolio was not performing and had only achieved an average of 2% per annum. I found this strange as I had specifically picked utilities as companies such as Centrica and Edf are posting good profits. As a seasoned investor (over 30 years) I must know compared to this seasoned investment professional who informed that "you was previously speaking to one of my junior brokers.." It should be you were...obviously english is not a strong language with this person.<br />Anyway he had a billionaires package he wished to share with me including Chateau Petrus at £37,000. Strange that this same case is £24,000 from Farr Vintners. £13,000 profit for assisting me with his advise and enduring his excellent elocution...I think not.<br />Who does he think he is dealing with??? Billionaires package indeed. If I was a billionaire I would have my own accountant who would manage my portfolio and someone to screen calls from such total idiots. <br />Do they seriously think that as a successful businessman I would not do my own research? Why does everything need to be done verbally with them? Why are they scared to commit anything in writing? Obvious answer would be that their lies if documented would get them into big trouble. The titanic seems more buoyant than this company! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-47605174886889755172012-10-29T12:59:21.723+00:002012-10-29T12:59:21.723+00:00i worked at winnington fine wines, there companies...i worked at winnington fine wines, there companies have had money frozen by fsa,no one had a clue about wine, their prices were high,and all the owner or manager or whatever he was Ali wanted to do was have the company floated ftse in 5 years, no bloody chance, i have no proof but i asked questions and was fired, for not having the right attitude. narcasistic self obsessed brokers, the comment above is apt, they are chimps in suitsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-17755846458073465902012-10-18T10:31:42.156+01:002012-10-18T10:31:42.156+01:00i have just read your last blogg with interest. Th...i have just read your last blogg with interest. These people called me about investing and starting telling me my bonds were no good and and my isa was losing me money, effectively.....whatever that is supposed to mean?? <br />I got a brochure via email which looked nice and made some very bold statements about them and their experience. They have been running for less than a year!! hardly est 1929 Some guy who was SENIOR MANAGEMENT Started harping on abut India and appelation controlee ..pronounced in a french/essex dialect that ammused me slightly.I said no and they still continue to call with a new angle...AVOID THESE CHIMPS IN SUITS ...THEY WONT LEAVE YOU ALONE.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-8813607852809836012012-10-17T22:46:45.690+01:002012-10-17T22:46:45.690+01:00I've been called by Winnington International a...I've been called by Winnington International and was thinking of investing. I decided to google Winngton and found this blog which made for interesting and at times slightly amusing reading. It was not until I saw the comment about Canary Wharf that I realised that Winnington International and Winnington Fine Wine are based at the same address. Perhaps a coincidence??? <br />The broker who phoned me and whose name is on the paperwork is Adam Brown. I've checked the paperwork 3 time now. Starting to get worried now! <br />I have noticed that they have a legal partner called Dale R Walker. They mentioned that everything was legally guaranteed and due to SIPP approval had been checked over by a leading legal company and that if I wished to meet them in the Citigroup tower in Canary Wharf then I could do so. I have just checked found their legal partner and checked them out on the Law Society website. Here's what I found:<br />Find a solicitor<br />DALE R WALKER - Head Office<br />Phone Number: 01732 779 369 <br />Fax Number: 01732 450 704 <br />Email Address: info@dalerwalkersolicitor.co.uk <br />At this office: Wheelchair Access: No <br />Legal Aid: Yes <br />Fixed Fee Interview: Yes <br />Authorised Trainer: No<br />ID: 70055<br />Address: Suite 1 <br />145 High Street <br />SEVENOAKS <br />KENT <br />TN13 1XJ <br />ENGLAND <br />Number of offices: 1 <br />Number of regulated principals in this organisation: 1 <br />Number of regulated principals at this office: 1 <br />Number of solicitors and lawyers at this office: 1 <br />Areas of law: <br />Business affairs, Civil litigation, Commercial property, Conveyancing residential, Criminal law, Debt and money advice <br />Lexcel Accreditation: No <br /><br />"Lexcel accreditation is the Law Society benchmark for excellence in practice management." Not only is this company lacking Lexcel accreditation in any of the areas that it practices it is also lacks more than 1 member of staff who is legally qualified, which is highly worrying in my opinion.<br /><br />Thank for for your website, you have probably saved me nearly £50,000 which I was thinking of investing in a 2 bed off plan appartment. Their glossy brochure has been ripped up and placed in the recycling for the bin men to take away tomorrow morning. Next step will be a change of phone number.<br />Thank you so much to you all for your comments regarding Winnington I am just very glad I found this blog before I made one of the most foolish and costly decisions of my life.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-2040058603591007792012-10-17T22:16:49.874+01:002012-10-17T22:16:49.874+01:00Not at all surprised Jim that the Winnington Way m...Not at all surprised Jim that the Winnington Way mirrors the behaviour of companies that have been in court. Hardly bodes well as a working ethosAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-40396313979904774482012-10-17T22:04:25.195+01:002012-10-17T22:04:25.195+01:00Looking at their website it is obvious that illite...Looking at their website it is obvious that illiteracy is a theme running throughout their documentation. So it is hardly surprising that a lack of geographical knowledge and common sense are themes. This director based in Canary Wharf is he Alex Hamilton or Alex Simpleton? Probably the latter working for the Scammington Group.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-49543410993218973032012-10-17T22:04:13.527+01:002012-10-17T22:04:13.527+01:00I don't know about Winnington but certainly in...I don't know about Winnington but certainly in the trials that have involved wine or whisky investment companies it was clear that the use of false names was customary.Jim's Loirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06696024920441263899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-68875927859068977742012-10-17T21:58:06.702+01:002012-10-17T21:58:06.702+01:00I worked for them briefly when they were based at ...I worked for them briefly when they were based at 40 Marsh Wall. They hide behind fake identities: Adam Brown that leading wine broker is a turkish muslim called Kadirl Alex hamilton is in fact Ali Sademloup, Morgan Brown is Anthony Wood, Hugo Roberts is really called Rami Philips. Everyone was encouraged to hide behind fake identity - "it means that there's no comebacks for you - you don't exist."<br />Looking back, I am just gald that my brief interlude with the Winnington Group only6 lasted a couple of daysAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-87930740828078686972012-10-17T21:48:51.032+01:002012-10-17T21:48:51.032+01:00oh dear I just googled Winnington and I found Winn...oh dear I just googled Winnington and I found Winnington International based at the same plush Canary Wharf address as Winnington Fine Wines. They are now offering off plan property in Turkey. <br /><br />Here is the stuff on their website:<br />Winnington International was created to research, explore, and manage the relationships between innovative luxury resorts in emerging property markets with desired tourism destinations and progressive investors. We specialize in low-risk, high yielding luxury resorts in emerging markets offering outstanding capital appreciation as well as competitive rental yields coupling both capital growth and a fixed income with excusive projects available to private investors. <br /><br />We look for alternative and innovative luxury resort projects that are on the leading edge of both property in emerging markets as well as established and rapidly expanding tourism destinations. Our team of motivated individuals holds years of combined experience in the fields of property development and investment knowledge. <br /><br />This allows us to intelligently determine projects with the most potential for high returns in order to achieve both capital appreciation and high yielding income with minimal risk, which should be the priority of every cautious investor’s portfolio. <br /><br />All Private investors have an exclusive opportunity to be involved in our rapidly expanding portfolio, as we rely on forward-thinking investors to support new property innovations and the emboldened research it takes to ensure a sustainable future of continuous growth. <br /><br />Our mission is to create wealth with leading Luxury resorts, with the latest and most productive projects in rapidly expanding destinations available to our investors. We continually strive to be on the cutting edge of the off-plan property industry and among its elite leaders.<br /><br />If you click on the management tab there is a mention of Winnington Hotels and resorts who offer "Europe’s leading resort and tour operators with one of the worlds most established and growing tourism destinations. The upmost priority is to provide an outstanding level of service to reflect the luxury of our resort and capitalize on the year on year growing attraction the one of the world’s impressive tourism destinations."<br />"Winnington Hotels and resorts operate as our group’s management division to offer the opportunity of capital growth, rental income and security of 100% freehold ownership in an ‘armchair’ investment environment."<br />Why can I not find Winnington Hotels and resorts listed on Companies House webchecker? Could it be because they don't exist?<br />I could however find 40 companies that have been formed at some point that are or were called Winnington. I'm sure that they're not all linked (I truly hope not)...but there is definitely something fishy going on here. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-23032027111763925772012-10-17T12:22:11.867+01:002012-10-17T12:22:11.867+01:00As a wine trader for the last 5 years i am amazed ...As a wine trader for the last 5 years i am amazed that these sort of companies are allowed to get away with this...is it not miss selling if you sell a product with such a high mark up they will find it almost impossible to make a profit,??<br />i checked out winnington group,wine, property , travel...their site even has Burgundy wines as a right bank wine...experts ...really? its a bordeaux<br />avoid these cowboys<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-60854253871932971542012-10-14T22:17:14.804+01:002012-10-14T22:17:14.804+01:00Alex Hamilton is a non exec director of the compan...Alex Hamilton is a non exec director of the company and runs the office in Canary wharf LondonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-14585283603420632132012-09-18T22:23:42.347+01:002012-09-18T22:23:42.347+01:00A fiend of mine was convinced to go with Winningto...A fiend of mine was convinced to go with Winnington to safeguard his £2000 ISA. They offered him a case of Cos D'Estournel for exactly £2000 in order to take full advantage of the Indian bull run. This wine only has an RP score of 92 points unlike the 2009 which has a score of 100. This great value wine is available from Farr Vintners for £840. So their profit would be £1160. At a 10% return per year my fiend would have to hold onto this wine for over 12 years. Great sound investment advice from this company who are all about "building a long term business relationship with their clients."<br />The lady Tania seemed quite genuine with wanting to help me although I could hear her being coached in the background by some man with appalling grammar. Perhaps some investment in the use of a dictionary and some old fashioned english language lessons would be more applicable to this company rather than telling my friend about the capital ersosion of his ISA.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-20870983691303867832012-09-04T16:49:48.630+01:002012-09-04T16:49:48.630+01:00I had a phone call from them, and as I am very bus...I had a phone call from them, and as I am very busy at work I said to him from the outset, that I am not being rude but I'm very busy so if he could get to the point it would be very appreciated.<br /><br />He kept asking me straight forward questions that just facilitated a 'yes' from me every time about my current finances and savings not achieving the high rate of interest from years ago.<br /><br />I used to get cold calls from 'Fine Wine Investments' that irritated me and I thought they had stopped. He never once mentioned fine wines, just kept talking about his portfolio of current clients achieving 10-12% return.<br /><br />When I asked if he was touting to take me on as a client, he said no, I'm just telling you what I do and then you'll ask to be taken on. Only after a google search did I find out it's another fine wines investment company. He sounded very crestfallen when I told him that I'm sorry I'm not interested, but thank you for your time.<br /><br />Time to change my phone number I think.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-50976721550641983402012-08-22T18:08:24.398+01:002012-08-22T18:08:24.398+01:00I just talked to adam at Winnington Wines
he talk...I just talked to adam at Winnington Wines <br />he talked and talked trying to get me to invest in fine wines in the end i said ok i will invest <br />£1000 he said that was not enough he wanted £5000<br />he said for me to make 10% intrest a year i would need to invest £5000 it was like talking to a used <br />car salesman he was pushing and pushing for more money in the end i did the right thing i said no thanks and hung up the phone then i found these blog and after reading it relise how close i came to losing £5000 Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-44161831282990518882012-06-26T17:00:51.511+01:002012-06-26T17:00:51.511+01:00I've been called by Winnington Wines following...I've been called by Winnington Wines following their firstly cold calling and then sending a brochure a few days ago. I got all the speil that has been said previously in this column about their style, And funnily enough with regard to land banking scams mentioned, I received several calls a few months ago from different companies.<br />I was involved in landbanking myself a few years ago only quite legitamately with the institution I worked for. The land waa farmed by us and we tried to get planning permission on some plots, often in association with reputable house builders but generally without success. How some of these companies referred to can sell little plots hardly large enough for one house at several times agricultural value with no hope of the purchasors that they'll ever get permission I don't know. So I was interested to read there may be links between these companies and some in the fine wine investment field. And more so the links with carbon trading companies. Where is the expertise in these companies, there must be some genius salepersons around if they know all there is to know about housing development, carbon trading and wine investment. We spent several years gaining expertise in property development alone!<br />Give them all a wide berth!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-7441057720379085132012-05-02T22:01:29.973+01:002012-05-02T22:01:29.973+01:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-40809707897689986472012-04-23T16:06:21.059+01:002012-04-23T16:06:21.059+01:00From one 'Anonymous' to another,
a bit of...From one 'Anonymous' to another,<br /><br />a bit of independent advise, there seems to be lots of reasons why not to buy wine from winnington (as you've highlighted) and absolutely no reason to buy from winnington!<br /><br />In summary:<br /><br />1. They're a new company with no clear track record for delivering stock (either physical or en primeur)<br />2. They tell blatant lies about their experience and track record on their website and on the phone as clearly documented on this blog (and i can vouch for the lies having spoken to one of them on the phone)<br />3. They even have the cheek to lie about other companies who've been around for a number of years, operating a reputable service<br />4. They were incorporated in January this year! So they've probably still got their phonetic spellings on the wall - la-feet, do-crew bo-kie-you...<br />5. Jim clearly exposed them trying to cover up their recent incorporation by swapping names with a dormant business incorporated in 2007<br />6. They're selling wines for far more than you can buy elsewhere (even with a portfolio management service i suspect)<br />7. Website littered with typos and what appears to be bootlegged information.<br />8. "Our QUALIFIED research and analytical team" - which qualifications are these? I'd be surprised if anyone at winnington could tell you what WSET even stands for<br />9. Winnington cold-called you, surely the final nail in the coffin?!<br /><br />Anyone who invests with winnington (or losington depending what way you look at it) needs their head examined.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-78190037964228611522012-04-21T14:06:06.195+01:002012-04-21T14:06:06.195+01:00Winnington Fine Wines tried to charge me 60% mark ...Winnington Fine Wines tried to charge me 60% mark up on market price... but that did include brokerage charges and storage! PART 2<br /><br />(Please see previous post for the first half of this account)<br /><br />My naive wine investor mind is trying to work out why Winnington Fine Wines wanted to charge me a 62% and 49% mark-up on the market price (inc brokerage and storage/insurance). So far I have speculated it could have been for a number of reasons:<br />• I was new to the market and wouldn’t check market prices<br />• They wanted to make a killing on selling their own stock<br />• They were trying to off-load a case from one of their large database of clients who perhaps had bought from them at a high price and now couldn’t sell on the open market<br />• Winnington can only buy from a limited range of sources<br />• I’m missing something.<br /><br />On the plus side for Winnington:<br />• Daniel was very pleasant, polite and enthusiastic about the great opportunities in fine wine investment.<br />• Winnington Fine Wines do now have a London City Bond Warehouse account - # WIN025 (they said) and are registered with LIV-EX (they said) so they are geared up to sell wine to lots more folk like me with impunity.<br /><br />I offer this account of my experience as information only to any would be investors – they must do their own research and make up their own minds. <br /><br />As for me, I’m still very keen to investigate this market further but I need some independent advice – any ideas?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-69874318822717498192012-04-21T14:02:42.709+01:002012-04-21T14:02:42.709+01:00Winnington Fine Wines tried to charge me 60% mark ...Winnington Fine Wines tried to charge me 60% mark up on market price... but that did include brokerage charges and storage!<br /><br />I was cold-called by Winnington Fine Wines by a very nice senior broker called Daniel. Over the course of two or three interesting telephone conversations I came to agree that the fine wine market was for me.<br /><br />Daniel gave me a quote on two cases on 12/04/12:<br />Cos D’Estournel (09) 12 x 75cl @ £4,480<br />Pontet Canet (09) 12 x 75cl @ £2,660<br /><br />This did include brokerage buying-in fees and storage/insurance (@19.95 + VAT per case per year) for the first year.<br /><br />This came to about the level of my available savings so I:<br />• Checked their website<br />• Received their transaction paperwork and glossy brochure<br />• Started to fill in the withdraw form for all savings from National Savings and Investments (Winnington did kindly offer to reduce their brokerage fee by the amount I was going to lose through early withdrawal).<br /><br />Before I sent anything off, I thought I really should check out the company a little more thoroughly and that led me to this blog post (http://investdrinks-blog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/winnington-fine-wines-ltd-leading-wine.html) and comments which made me suspicious. <br /><br />So then I thought I should check out the prices quoted. I went to Fine and Rare at http://www.frw.co.uk/searchWines.aspx?keywords=Cos+d+Estournel+2009&sid=4&FRS=ws and found:<br />Cos D’Estournel (09) 12 x 75cl @ £2,763 (so Winnington were 62% more expensive but that did include their brokerage buying-in fee and storage/insurance)<br /><br />Pontet Canet (09) 12 x 75cl @ £1,787 (so Winnington were 49% more expensive this time but still inc. brokerage buying-in fee and storage/insurance)<br /><br />Through Fine and Rare Wines there were no buying in fees to be paid but obviously storage and insurance at about £9 + VAT a case per year had to be added on.<br /><br />I phoned Winnington Fine Wines with my concerns. Their argument was:<br />• Didn’t I agree that as a naive investor I needed Winnington’s expertise, market reports and database of hundreds of customers when I wanted to sell out (Yes, I definitely do need all of that and thought that was what their 10% buy in charge was for – originally I was told 5% buy in then another 5% on the profit made when I sell out. However, I would also like to trust my broker to find me the best market price available.)<br /><br />After cancelling the trade and ending the conversation with Daniel a manager phoned back almost immediately to “clear up any misunderstanding”. He gave up a lot of his time to:<br />• Repeat the above point<br />• Say that I didn’t understand the difference between the retail and wholesale market<br />• Say that Fine and Rare were not a brokerage, could not give advice, market reports etc and could not sell my wine for me when I wished to sell out (none of which is accurate)<br />• Say that I couldn’t buy at that market price from F&RW anyway as it was the wholesale price (I think) – I would have to buy hundreds of cases (I phoned F&RW up – I could buy – minimum order £200 – no buy-in commission)<br />• Say that F&RW where only selling the Cos D’Estournel at that price as stock clearance – they only had two cases left (I thought that as the supply dried up, the price rose... isn’t that the plan? Anyway, Daniel had previously urged me to put down a deposit to freeze their price on the Cos as they only had 4 cases left out of 50. Also, the Pontet Canet which Winnington had marked up by 49% was in stock as well – they had about 65 cases of that available.)<br /><br />And then the senior broker said:<br />• They would drop their offer price of the Cos D’Estournel to £3600 as I “was a first time investor”<br /><br />Naturally I declined.<br /><br />Oops - run out of space. Part II nextAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567042805993048802.post-1839511536966160912012-03-21T23:24:39.642+00:002012-03-21T23:24:39.642+00:00That paragraph is plagiarised from the Farr vintne...That paragraph is plagiarised from the Farr vintners website, pretty much verbatim <br /><br />http://www.farrvintners.com/wine_investment.phpAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com