Thu August 7th 2008

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Using and Understanding Vintage Charts

The origins of vintage ratings can be traced to 1855, when an endeavor was made to rate the most highly respected wines of the time, those of Bordeaux. The ratings were based on the reputation of each wine and reflected their value at auction. Nowadays, the wine industry is rapidly changing with an incredible range of countries and wineries to pick from. No one can buy and taste every wine on the shelf, leaving vintage charts to give a clear guide to the vintages.

The Purpose of Vintage Charts
Obviously, as people’s palates differ, describing the many qualities of a vintage numerically is difficult. There is also variety in the wines that make up a vintage. This means that vintage charts can be very useful if used as a guide and not as a cast-iron guarantee of quality. Wine vintage charts have validity as they cover a certain discrete area.

All the yearly issues that help determine how good the vintage is, from weather to grape quality, are mirrored by a vintage chart’s rating. Thus, vintage charts are more useful than a wine taster’s personal opinion on a single wine from a vintage. In addition, the vintage charts found here have been meticulously researched to avoid the problems some associate with wine scoring.

All in all, vintage charts make your life easier and give you a reliable source of information so you can choose a vintage that will hopefully be one of your future favorites. One of the great joys of wine is discovering the qualities of a producer or region that you had never tried before. In addition to the Port Vintage Chart provided on this site we have links to vintage charts for the classic winemaking regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne.

Vintage charts often don't look very straightforward; they seem to be a crazy mess of numbers, colors, symbols, years and wine regions. Demystifying the jargon that surrounds wine is important and vintage charts can help. Generally speaking, vintage charts consist of two or three bits of important information.

Along with a numerical rating, other bits of information are often included to give you a better idea of the qualities of a vintage. Recommendations are commonly given as to when to drink the vintage. As different vintages mature at different speeds, some years will have aged nicely and are now just right for drinking, while another year's vintage may start showing some signs of age—drink up soon!

Vintage ports and some red wines, on the other hand, often need a generous length of time to mature, so you will often see vintage charts recommending you 'hold' or 'cellar' those bottles for a bit longer to fully develop their complex characteristics and depth.

All in all, vintage charts make your life easier and give you a reliable source of information so you can choose a vintage that will hopefully be one of your future favorites. One of the great joys of wine is discovering the qualities of a producer or region that you had never tried before.

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