When buying wine, I often hear "This bottle of wine is 2009, Bordeaux, the most outstanding vintage, it is no better than the average vintage wine", meaning "the better the vintage, the better the wine; the worse the vintage, The wine must be poor. " Is it really? The year 82 is a good year for Bordeaux, so is the quality of the wine as long as the year 82?
The growth of grapes is affected by many factors, especially the climatic factors, such as light, temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind, etc., so the growth of grapes changes with the annual climate change. The quality of the grape harvest can directly affect the quality of the grape itself, which in turn affects the quality of the wine. A good year is when the climatic conditions of the year are suitable for the growth of grapes, which can lay a good foundation for the production of high-quality wine. A poor year is when the climatic conditions of the year are not particularly suitable for the growth of grapes. Therefore, the vintage records the growth of the grapes in the region of the year, which has an extremely important effect on wine.
A good year means that the climatic conditions in the year are good, but it does not mean that the grapes of all wineries are growing well, because the growth of the grapes is not only related to the climate, but also to artificial factors such as pruning, flower thinning and fruit picking, and picking.if no one cares when the grapes are growing, even if it is the best century vintage, it will be in vain for some wineries. Therefore, a good vintage does not mean that the grape quality must be high.
The quality of wine is not only related to the quality of grapes, but also to various factors such as fermentation process, aging process and storage environment. Therefore, vintage is only an influencing factor of wine quality, but it is not equal. For example, 82 years is a century for Chateau Lafite Rothschild, and the wines produced are of excellent quality, selling for tens of thousands of dollars per bottle; while for some ordinary Bordeaux wineries, the 82 year harvest Well, the quality of the wine produced is still mediocre, and the price is not more than a hundred yuan.
If it is a poor year, can it not produce high-quality wine? of course not! If the climate of a growing region is not good, experienced winemakers will use manual intervention to reduce the adverse effects of the year during the winemaking process. Regardless of adjusting the blending ratio, using different fermentation and aging techniques, the winemakers have made every effort to save any bad year and try to improve the overall quality of the wine.
When buying wine, if you blindly pursue the year, you may fall into the trap of the merchant and cause a certain economic loss. What are the traps and snares?
Speaking of 1982, many people will think of 82 Lafite. They think that the wines of 1982 are good wines and expensive wines, which are worthy of collection. Indeed, 1982 is a great year for Bordeaux, but it is also a very bad year in the Burgundy region of France. The rain and frost caused most of the grapes to grow badly, and the wine produced The quality is more general. For example, the famous wine magazine "Wine Spectator" rated the La Tache wine of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti in 1982 as only 88 points.
If a bottle of Bordeaux table wine from 1982 is placed to today, although it is also produced in a great year, there is no trace of tasting value, let alone excellent quality. Therefore, 82 years of wine does not necessarily mean that it is good wine.
2009 is a good year in Bordeaux, and 2008 is a common year in Bordeaux. For some famous wines, the wine quality and price in 2009 are higher than in 2008. For some regional AOC wines or table wines, the quality is almost the same and the price is not much more expensive
Generally, ordinary table wine itself often does not have the complexity and aging potential, because whether it is a top vintage or a mediocre vintage, it has little effect on the quality of the wine. This type of wine is mostly entry-level wine, the price is around tens of yuan, the output is very high, simple and easy to drink. For example, French wines such as VDF and IGP.
Most New World wine regions have warmer and dryer climates, but also allow irrigation and more manual intervention. Overall, the differences brought by vintage are not as obvious as those of the old world. Therefore, when buying New World wines, it is usually not necessary to consider the vintage, unless it is some very top wine.
The cultivation techniques, brewing techniques and aging techniques of these wines are relatively stable every year. At this time, the factors influencing the climate will become extremely important. The climate of the year will directly affect the complexity, elegance and aging potential of the wine. Therefore, when buying famous wines, be sure to check the vintage. The wines of different vintages not only have a large quality gap, but also have a larger price gap. For example, Bordeaux's famous Chateau Pontet Canet won the Parker's full mark in 2010, with an international average price of 1599 yuan, while in 2007, a poor year, the international average price was only 597 yuan, a difference of nearly 3 times. .
Garage Wine and Cult Wine are very small wines with extremely low yields, very high planting and brewing requirements, and the quality of their grapes is greatly affected by the climate There will be discrepancies in different years. For example, Chateau de Valandraud received only 88 points from Wine Observer in a bad 2007 year, and the international average price was only 1,223 yuan; 96 points from Wine Observer in an excellent 2010 The international average price reached 2,186 yuan, nearly double that of the former.
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