Vintage Charts, Best Year Information & Wine Buying Advice

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Was it a very good year?

The vintage is simply the year that the fruit, usually one or more varieties of grapes, used in making the wine was grown.

Vintage information is important because the climate and weather conditions to which the fruit is exposed before it is harvested will affect quality. If you know the year was awful, you can pass on it - however, vintage charts are averages, and there are some very outstanding and some terrible wines included in almost any vintage year from any region.

In addition, the vintage charts are compiled by someone who has tastes and opinions which may not agree with yours. They are good guidelines, but not absolute guarantees of a good, or bad, wine drinking experience...

The Wine Scout's Vintage Charts Guide - The vintage charts are here, but also check out a great explanation and overview of the whole idea of vintage charts, with additional links to many other related charts at the bottom of the article.

The Wine Advocate's Vintage Guide - Robert Parker fell in love with his wife and with French wines at the same time -- decades ago in Alsace, France. He is the moving force behind the Wine Advocate and a great source of wine lore, information and reviews. This is the latest edition of his vintage chart and makes keeping track of your vintages easy. Some disagree with his take on some wines - see the link above for this caveat.

Berry Bros & Rudd Vintage Charts - This British wine seller provides modern charts for French wines, port wines and a historical chart covering vintages from 1846 to 1977 drawn from Berry Bros. archives.

The Wine Spectator's Vintage Charts - One of the premiere magazines and Web sites on wines offering vintage charts for specific wine types in certain regions. If you happen to be interested in the areas they cover, you're in luck. Otherwise, you can always subscribe to check the other charts, ratings and tasting notes for specific wines.

Wine On Line - This Irish site has a simple explanation of the complexities that make vintage charts problematic and a very simple chart of recent vintages from around the world.

Vintage Charts - One of a series of connected sites, this one focuses on vintage charts of Champagne, Bordeaux, and Burgundy. There is a simple explanation of the pros and cons, and a short introduction to the wines of each region.

All About Vintages - A very good article on the importance of vintages that includes links to weather forecasts for primary French growing areas in case you want to watch the factors that influence the outcomes.