I think the wine I was gifted may be worth a lot of money. Can I sell it?

Q. A business colleague of mine gave me a bottle of wine as a present. I suspect it might be worth quite a lot of money. How do I find out? If it is valuable, can I sell it?

A. Google can be of great help here. Input the full name of the wine, including producer, region and vintage and see what comes up on your screen. I find Winesearcher.com a good source of information on both price and quality. It will also give you scores and reviews from various leading wine critics. Prices can vary enormously as some countries have much lower duties. Some outlets sell expensive wines at a very high premium. The quality and value of a wine can vary depending on vintage, so make sure you input the year too.

There are fine wine brokers and auction houses who buy and sell wine. However, unless it is very rare, they are usually only interested in a full case of wine rather than a single bottle. Most reputable dealers will also want to know how and where the wine has been stored, something you may not know.

Instead of selling it, why not treat your bottle of wine as the generous donor intended and drink it? Do a little research on where it comes from, how it should be served, and what food to enjoy with it. Serve it in decent, large tulip-shaped wine glasses at the correct temperature, with someone you love.

These days most fine wines are ready to drink when they are bottled. If you intend keeping the wine for a special occasion, make sure you keep it lying down in a cool dark room.