For most people, wine is a pleasant tipple that makes life that little bit more enjoyable at the end of the day. Some drinkers take it more seriously than others. Some drink more of it than others. And a growing number of connoisseurs are buying wine not simply to drink but to make money. The numbers speak for themselves. Over the past decade, fine wine has soared in value. A bottle of Chateau Lafite would have cost £130 in the summer of 2001.