Yes, your wine cellar or whisky collection is insured under German contents insurance (Hausratversicherung), but only against fire, burglary, escaping tap water, storm and hail. Breakage, cooling failure and cork taint are not covered. For valuable collections, all risks policies cost roughly 1 to 5 per mille of the value a year.
Guide figures from published information on contents and art insurance, applied to typical collection values.
Example
Typical range
Contents insurance: limit for all valuables
usually 20 percent of the sum insured
All risks policy, collection worth EUR 15,000
about EUR 15 to 75 a year
All risks policy, collection worth EUR 50,000
about EUR 50 to 250 a year
All risks policy, collection worth EUR 100,000
about EUR 100 to 500 a year
Guide figures, October 2026.
The 0.1 to 0.5 percent range comes from published information on art insurance;
applying it to wine and whisky is a guide value from quoting practice (Richtwert aus der
Angebotspraxis).
Norman Nammert can obtain an exact quote as an insurance broker.
Worked example
Collector with 300 bottles of wine and 40 bottles of whisky
Flat of 90 square metres, contents sum by the rule of thumb, the collection is worth EUR 42,000 in total.
Contents without the collection (90 × EUR 650)
EUR 58,500
Wine and whisky per inventory
EUR 42,000
Required contents sum including the collection
around EUR 100,500
Separate all risks policy for EUR 42,000
about EUR 42 to 210 a year
Either raise the contents sum to around EUR 100,500 (without breakage cover) or insure the collection separately with breakage and transport for about EUR 42 to 210 a year.
What contents insurance pays for your wine cellar
Bottles in your cellar or wine fridge are part of your household contents. German contents insurance (Hausratversicherung) pays if they are destroyed by fire, stolen in a burglary or damaged by escaping tap water. Storm and hail are covered too.
Wine and whisky are not on the usual list of valuables (Wertsachen) such as jewellery, coins or art. The common limit of 20 percent of the sum insured for valuables therefore often does not apply to your bottles. Check the valuables clause in your own policy.
Loss
Contents insurance
All risks collection policy
Burglary
yes
yes
Fire, lightning
yes
yes
Burst pipe, tap water
yes
yes
Bottle dropped while rearranging
no
yes, breakage is included
Transport to an auction or a move
no
often yes, depending on the policy
Wine spoils with age
no
no, gradual deterioration is excluded
Gaps for wine cellars and whisky
The biggest gap is breakage. If a rack collapses or a case slips from your hands, contents insurance pays nothing, because breakage is not an insured peril.
Cooling failure is missing as well. If your wine fridge compressor dies and the wine overheats, that is not an insured loss. Cork taint and natural ageing are never covered.
Flooding in the cellar is only covered with the natural hazards add on (Elementarschaden). Wine cellars sit at the lowest point of the house and are hit first.
Setting the right value for a wine collection
Contents insurance pays what it costs to buy equivalent bottles again. If your wine or whisky collection is worth a lot, the sum insured must include it. Otherwise the payout can be cut for underinsurance.
Rare vintages and limited bottlings often have no fixed market price. Receipts, auction results, a list with photos and, where needed, a valuation make the value provable after a loss.
A separate policy for wine and whisky collections
Specialist art and collection policies work on an all risks basis: everything is covered unless it is expressly excluded. That brings in breakage, damage and often transport. A typical guide is 0.1 to 0.5 percent of the sum insured a year.
Whether an insurer accepts a wine or whisky collection is decided case by case, usually based on storage, security and an inventory. Norman Nammert can obtain quotes as an insurance broker; the commission is paid by the insurer.
When your wine cellar does not need its own policy
For a few dozen bottles meant for drinking, contents insurance is enough. Just make sure the sum insured includes what is in the cellar.
A separate policy pays off when the collection is a noticeable part of your wealth, you move or lend bottles often, or single pieces cannot be replaced.
Step by step
Create an inventory with purchase price, vintage and photos.
Estimate the current replacement value or have it valued.
Compare your contents sum with the total and check natural hazards cover.
Decide whether breakage and transport should be covered.
For high values, get quotes for an all risks policy.
Checklist
Sum insured covers flat and collection together
Natural hazards cover if the cellar is near a river or on a slope
Inventory with receipts stored outside the cellar
Breakage and transport clarified if you move bottles
Cellar secured as the policy requires
Common mistakes
Leaving the collection out when setting the contents sum
Assuming a dropped bottle is covered
Keeping no proof for rare bottles
Not adjusting the sum after new purchases
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Is my wine in the cellar of an apartment building insured?
Usually yes, if the cellar room belongs to your flat and counts as an insured location in your
policy.
Cellars often have their own security conditions.
Does contents insurance pay if the wine fridge fails?
No.
Wine spoiled by rising temperature is not an insured peril.
The fridge itself may be replaced after a lightning surge if that add on is included.
Do I have to declare my whisky collection?
For contents insurance it is usually enough to choose a suitable sum insured.
A separate collection policy requires an inventory.
Is the purchase price or today's value paid?
The payout is what equivalent bottles cost today.
If a bottle has gained value, the higher price counts as long as the sum insured is sufficient.
Are bottles insured on the way to an auction?
Not under contents insurance in most cases.
Many collection policies include transport, as stated in the contract.
