Shop online...
Majestic Wine Blog

Majestic Wine Blog

Menu mobile

Menu

  • Features
  • Food & Wine
  • Competitions
  • Travel
  • Company News
  • Charity Work

The Importance Of Vintages

Wednesday 15 October 2014 written by Majestic Wine Team in Feature
Gary Bates
share mobile

What makes a good vintage, and what’s in a year? Why do those four digits printed on the label provoke such debate between wine enthusiasts, and even determine the value of some wines? Gary Bates, Majestic’s Marketing Manager, tackles these very important questions.

As with any fruit, the quality of the grapes used is directly dependant on the conditions in which they are grown, and the weather can vary enormously from one year to the next. This influences every point in the growing season, from the time when the vines begin to flower, to the time when the bunches of fruit appear, all the way through to the harvest.

CIMG1157

A growing season of perfectly-timed rain and sunshine may lead to a perfect, healthy harvest. On the other hand, extreme heat or cold, excessive rain or freak hailstorms can seriously upset an entire crop. As a consequence, weather conditions also affect the decisions made by vignerons regarding leaf pruning, management of yields, irrigation (where permitted) and most crucially, the date of the harvest. Those with skill and experience can still produce excellent quality grapes under less-than-ideal conditions with careful vineyard management and well-timed harvesting, particularly when assisted by a bit of good luck!

Some parts of the world enjoy relatively similar conditions every year, while the more marginal climates can be extremely challenging, and often lead to wide variation in quality or style between vintages. Back-to-back tasting of two vintages from the same producer can provide a fascinating insight into the influence of different climatic conditions experienced in each year.

CIMG0175

Knowledge about a vintage can also help you to answer that nagging question of when you should open a wine to enjoy it at its best. While certain vintages may favour rich, firmly structured wines with great ageing potential, others may be better suited to lighter, more elegant wines that can be better appreciated in their youth.

PB JXM

Read More 2Comments
Gary Bates
Gary Bates
Like most of us I spent a couple of years in Majestic stores, but am currently Marketing Manager for Majestic. I like my reds to have body and character; classic Italian and Spanish wines are always a hit. And my whites? Chardonnay all the way - the more buttery the better. And I do love a meat pie. majesticwine
  • Edward

    It is relatively easy to find out the good and bad years of European wines but where does one get such information on the New World Wines? Some put the year on their bottles others don’t. The other question is if one is going to keep wine to mature that is in a screw top bottle then should it be stored upright or laid down with the wine in contact with the metal as with cork? Are there any downsides to storing screw tops on their side?

    • http://www.majestic.co.uk/ Ruari Cathmoir

      Hi Edward,

      If there’s no vintage on the label then it means it’s probably a wine from multiple years, in that instance it’s a volume brand made for consistency so won’t reflect the vintage. You can find great vintage reports online at sites such as jancisrobinson.com & erobertparker.com. A quick web search on a country and ‘vintage report’ will give you a good overview.

      Screw cap bottles are an excellent closure for wines whether for maturation or immediate consumption – modern screwcaps allow a controlled flow of air into the bottle through the membrane which is more consistent than cork, so bottle variation is rare. As for storage, you can store any way you like without concern; if the wine is intended for development, no metal is in contact with the wine thanks to the membrane insert.

Read more here!

Grand-Prix Competition
Grand-Prix Competition
Enter our competition with Chandon to win tickets to the British Grand Prix
Top BBQ Tips for Summer
Top BBQ Tips for Summer
Rain or shine - and we prefer shine - we can help you host the perfect BBQ
Mythbusters: 16 Easy Wine Mistakes
Mythbusters: 16 Easy Wine Mistakes
Doing wine wrong? We can help!

Sidebar

Follow us and be Wine Savvy!

facebooktwittergoogleyoutubepinterestfoursquare

Read more here!

Grand-Prix Competition
Grand-Prix Competition
Enter our competition with Chandon to win tickets to the British Grand Prix
Top BBQ Tips for Summer
Top BBQ Tips for Summer
Rain or shine - and we prefer shine - we can help you host the perfect BBQ
Mythbusters: 16 Easy Wine Mistakes
Mythbusters: 16 Easy Wine Mistakes
Doing wine wrong? We can help!

Recent Tweets

  • "Jet off to the South of France this weekend with our tip-top selection of fantastic sippers. They kick-off at just… https://t.co/LD3uihdLwp"3 days ago
  • "RT @stewart99jones: @jamesmartinchef @majesticwine James thanks for the heads up for the Bouvet. Makes a perfect Valentine’s Day with @Jone…"3 days ago
  • "@FilipBrenkovic Hi Brendan, we are unable to offer this north of the border due to the Scottish Promotional Licensi… https://t.co/wROG8FbaZ2"4 days ago
  • "Whether you're a fan of #Valentines or not, we think any excuse to dust off the flutes is fine by us. Our top spark… https://t.co/5d2HrYXHEw"4 days ago

Read more about

alsace argentina armagnac australia australian wine beer brandy buyer recommendation california champagne chardonnay charity come and explore competition competitions craft beer english sparkling wine food food & wine food and wine matching france gin guest blog italy jim barry majestic malbec marlborough meet the winemaker new zealand pinot noir riesling sauvignon blanc shiraz south africa spain sparkling wine spirits travel video viognier vodka wine wine of the week yalumba

Footer

Back to top

First footer

  • Blog Home
    • News
  • Store Finder
    • London
    • All of the UK
  • Shop Online
    • All Wine
    • Champagne & Sparkling
    • Mixed Cases
    • Gifts
  • Contact Us

Second footer

Mobile footer

  • Home
  • Contact Us
Facebook
Twitter
© Majestic Wine Warehouses Ltd 2013

Newsletter

Keep up to date with top offers and new arrivals!

Sign up me
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
YouTube
Pinterest
Foursquare