What category is my wine collection considered under personal property? There is nothing in my policy that indicates it is not covered. United Policyholders Staff asked 3 years ago
What category is my wine collection considered under personal property? There is nothing in my policy that indicates it is not covered.

We lost our home in the N. Cal wildfire in Oct-2017. I had a 600 bottle collection of wine and a refrigerated wine cellar. I value the wine at $35K. There is nothing we have seen in the policy that excludes wine. What personal property category does the wine fall in? Are you aware of any exclusion for wine if not explicitly mentioned in the policy? Our policy is with CA AAA. Thanks.

1 Answers
Robert Crown Robert Crown Expert answered 3 years ago
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There is no specific exclusion for wine, whether it’s a collectible and or high priced item or not. The insurance company may reserve the right to shop the price and the vintage, but you can still advance a claim for the full cost of the wine even if it’s based on an appraised value by a wine consultant that knows it’s worth. You might also ask the insurance company to pay for a collector to value the merchandise as a claim evaluation expense so you do not have to pay for that consultation yourself. Any cost associated with proving the value of an item can be born by the insurance company, if it’s reasonable, and if they agree. (With the exception of public adjuster fees which they will not pay for under any circumstances). Best, Robert C.