Choosing a wine means focusing on a few essential elements: the region, the color, the producer, the vintage, the grape variety… But to give importance to the vintage, you need to know what it means, what it corresponds to, what impact it has on the wine.

The vintage is the year in which the grapes were harvested. Wines are vintage dated from the moment they are bottled, in order to classify and distinguish them from one another.

Interesting fact: a vintage from one year is not necessarily marketed that same year, but can be marketed 2, 3 or 4 years later if the winemaker wishes to age the wine in-house for direct consumption.

What determines the quality of a vintage

Every year, different weather conditions influence the grapes produced. They have a direct impact on grape quality, yield, harvest date and aromatic characteristics.

To put it simply, a year with a cold, wet winter, a mild spring and a sunny summer will provide the ideal conditions for producing fruity, acidic grapes. Warm days and cool nights are the perfect combo.

Rain, sun and the vagaries of the weather (frost and hail) will therefore have a particular impact on the quality of the grapes harvested.

First of all, too much rain can swell the grapes with water, diluting aromas, sugar and acidity. The wines will therefore be insipid. Heavy rain also favors grape rot, which damages the crop. However, a certain type of rot, noble rot, is sought after in certain white wines (in Alsace or Sauternes, for example) to make sweet wines.

On the other hand, a lack of rain, a drought, dries out the grapes and halts ripening. This can delay the harvest.

In terms of sunshine, too much will gorge the grapes with sugar, allowing them to ripen properly. On the other hand, the resulting wine risks being heavy due to a lack of acidity. Ripe fruit and jam aromas, with a heavy consistency.

A lack of sunshine slows grape ripening, resulting in under-ripe berries that are highly acidic, bitter and low in sugar and aroma. The wines produced are acidic, with vegetal or unripe fruit aromas.

Lastly, the vagaries of the weather have a significant impact on grape quality. A late spring frost risks destroying buds that have already opened and no longer have a protective layer. Hail, like frost, damages vines and their fruit if they have no protection. As a result, harvests will be short, yields will be low and fewer wines will be produced.

How important is vintage?

Above all, it’s important to realize the diversity of vintages that can be obtained. Depending on the country, region, sub-region, appellation, estate and even parcel, there are different weather conditions and terroirs that are more or less suited to certain climates.

Thus, a vintage must be considered in perspective with the estate and appellation of the wine being studied. Each winegrower has his own know-how and methods which he can adapt to the weather, thus having a “counter-cyclical” impact on his vineyard. A “bad” vintage can produce a “good” wine if the winemaker is skilled and adopts the right techniques.

Finally, technical progress and the accumulation of knowledge about terroir and climate enable us to anticipate weather conditions in order to best plan the harvest and protect the vines from various hazards.

Discover our complete vintage guide.

© Photo by : Alfred Laurent / Twil