Of all the bits of information on a label of wine, the vintage is arguably the most confusing. It’s really not always clear what that date is telling you.
Well the obvious answer is that that is the year in which the grapes in the bottle were harvested. Harvesting takes place on the turn of autumn each year, so up here in the Northern Hemisphere it’s Sept-Nov each year. It’s not when it was bottled, it’s not when it was put on the shelf, it’s when the grapes were harvested. Simple enough, right?
But why put it on at all? What’s so important for the wine drinker that they need to know the vintage? Does wine have a sell by date? Well yes and no.
Vintage variations, especially in a climate like Bordeaux can be pretty big. Vines are fickle little things, who require set temperatures and weather patterns at the exact right time each year to produce a constant set of grapes. Obviously that never happens, but the differences in weather each year will denote how that vintage will taste, evolve, and all that kind of stuff.
Cool years will leave less fruity wines with higher acidity, warmer years and the fruit might be more jammy with less acidity.
When you hear people talk about top vintages then that’s what they’re talking about. The weather that year meant those particular grapes grew really well for wine production.
Interestingly though what is good to one taster, might put off another and viceversa. The lauded 2010 vintage has great mixtures of fruit, acidity, and body. That makes it perfect for ageing into some of the best wines going. But what do you do if you want to drink a bottle now? Well head for a early drinking vintages like 2008 or 2006.
Best way to learn what you do and don’t like is just to taste them. You’ll work it out pretty quick. Remember to ask us if you’re after any different vintages, we’ll search high and low for what you need.
Enjoy
Mike
Director of www.20h33.co.uk
Photo Credit : ©B.Kulik