Vintage Wines

Enjoying vintage wines, especially those of Bordeaux and Burgundy, is one of life’s great pleasures. Sourcing these paramount wines can be both incredibly challenging and extraordinarily rewarding - always a worthwhile endeavor. So, where does one begin and is vintage of such immense importance?

When examining wines from the cooler regions of the wine world, vintage is often very important. The weather and growing conditions in a given season have a direct affect on the quality and style of the finished wines. Winemaker’s influence cannot be denied and should always be taken into account when considering lesser vintages. While this is true, the world’s great producers will always manage to produce great wines, even if it means producing in miniscule quantities.

In many wine regions, especially in the New World, growing seasons tend to be more uniform. In dry regions, the systematic and controlled use of irrigation also contributes to uniform vintages.

Wines of superior vintages from prominent regions and producers will often command much higher premiums than those from average vintages. Price is always higher if wines are likely to improve further with cellar aging. Certain wines, such as vintage Champagnes and vintage Ports are only labeled with a vintage in the very best years years, to maintain their quality and reputation, while the vast majority of wines are produced for consumption while young and fresh. In such cases, vintage is of less importance than the producer’s reputation.