Wine vintages explained: how to read a vintage chart
A vintage chart tells you whether 2019 was a good year for Burgundy. Here's how to actually use one.
You're standing in a wine shop looking at two Barolos. One is from 2016, the other from 2014. They're the same price. Which one do you pick?
If you don't know anything about Barolo vintages, it's a coin flip. But 2016 was one of the best vintages in decades for Barolo. 2014 was average. That's a real difference, and it takes about ten seconds to check if you know where to look.
What a vintage chart tells you
A vintage chart rates the quality of wine from a specific region in a specific year. Burgundy 2019 might get a 5 out of 5. Burgundy 2021 might get a 3. The scores reflect growing conditions that year: weather, harvest timing, disease pressure.
The chart also tells you when to enjoy each vintage. A high-scoring vintage often needs more time to develop. A lighter vintage is usually ready sooner.
Cork has vintage charts built in. You pick a region, and you see quality ratings by year with drinking windows for each vintage. No need to memorize anything.
How to use a vintage chart in practice
At a wine shop: You're considering a Bordeaux. Pull up Cork, check the vintage chart, and see if that year was good. A 5-star vintage at a reasonable price is a buy.
At a restaurant: The wine list has a 2018 Burgundy for €80. Is 2018 a good year for Burgundy? Check Cork. (It's a strong vintage, and it's drinking well right now.)
In your cellar: Cork cross-references vintage charts with your drinking windows. So you can see not just the quality score but whether that vintage is too young, ready, at peak, or past prime.
Which regions have vintage charts?
Cork covers major French regions (Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhône, Loire, Champagne, Alsace), Italian regions (Piedmont, Tuscany), Spain (Rioja), and more. New regions get added regularly.
Vintages aren't everything
A great producer in a mediocre vintage can still make excellent wine. And a lazy producer in a great vintage can still disappoint. Vintage charts are a useful starting point, not the final word.
That's where your own tasting notes come in. Rate the wine yourself and see how your experience lines up with the vintage rating. Over time, you'll notice which producers outperform their vintage and which ones don't. Cork's palate profile tracks these patterns automatically.
If you learn something interesting about a vintage or region, write a note in Cork. It'll show up on every matching wine in your cellar, so you'll see it the next time you're deciding what to open.
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