YOUR MONEY-For wine investors, it's hard work to drink in success

(Reuters) - When investing in wine, as opposed to drinking it, experts advise leaving your taste buds at the cellar door but keeping your eyes wide-open.

Wine is highly regulated, but the market it trades in is not, and the entry fee is not for the faint of heart.

"For proper investment in wine you really need to separate out your personal taste and your personal preference from investment purposes. These are two entirely different goals," said Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan, author most recently of "The One Minute Wine Master" and "Pairing with the Masters: A Definitive Guide to Food & Wine."

"Wine is completely emotional and that's what makes it very difficult as an asset class," said Simonetti-Bryan, who before attaining the top qualification of Master of Wine, worked as a financial analyst in London.

Collectible wine represents less than 1 percent of the entire world's annual wine production. The other 99 percent of this year's output will be up for tasting and sale at VinExpo, the industry's global trade show in Bordeaux that runs through Thursday.

But at least some of that top 1 percent, the classified growths of prized Bordeaux, have already been sampled, rated and priced.