Choosing the Perfect Anniversary Vintage Wine

Choosing the perfect gift with which to commemorate an anniversary is a notoriously difficult task. However, one option that rarely fails to delight is that of a carefully chosen vintage wine gift from the corresponding year. There is the obvious benefit that a bottle of vintage wine from any year carries an air of exclusivity and sophistication. Added to this is the fact that the wine was produced in the year in question, lending the gift a tremendously personalised feel. Furthermore, if the wine is selected carefully to suit the tastes of the recipient, it also has a thoughtful and studied connotation that is hard to match from any other anniversary gift option. 

 

Many prospective purchasers of a vintage wine gift will often be discouraged by the apparent difficulty of making the correct choice, preferring to play it safe with a more standard gift. This article therefore provides a brief guide to ensure that any such qualms are avoided, and the perfect Vintage Wine Gifts By Vintage Wine And Port can be secured with confidence and ease. Whilst the sister article to this, “Vintage Wine Gifts for Special Anniversaries”, provides specific recommendations for wines you can purchase, here we will concentrate on providing you with the information you need to make a wine selection for yourself, best suited to your needs.

 

A Word on Wine Style

 

Before you commence your search for the perfect anniversary wine gift it is worth giving some consideration to the tastes and preferences of the intended recipient. Do they tend to prefer sweet or dry wines? Do they have a preference for red or white wines (subject to the limitation on vintage whites that I will come to shortly)? Are full bodied or light wine styles preferred?

 

It may of course not be easy or indeed possible to ascertain this information, particularly if the gift is intended for a couple or group. In those cases, aim for a more general, widely accepted wine style such as a classic claret, a chianti or a subtle style of white wine. The retailer will always be helpful in this regard and will be able to suggest safe options. Where the preferred wine style of the recipient is known, then choose a bold example of that style if available. I almost always find that a vintage wine gift is the perfect opportunity to explore bold styles and flavours, since the recipient is almost always expecting a wine of that standing to be distinctive and challenging. Again, the retailer will be happy to advise and come up with options that are sure to delight.

 

The Importance of Vintage

 

Having settled upon the style of wine that is of interest, it is often of concern to the buyer of the gift that the year in question is sufficiently well regarded in terms of the vintage as a whole. This is certainly a factor that can add that special quality to your gift, but it need not discourage you if the year is not favourable. To appreciate this more clearly, it is worth digressing to the general matter of wine vintages and their relevance.

 

There are many factors which contribute to the quality of a particular bottle of wine, and of these the prevailing climatic conditions of the growing year are clearly very important. The sugar and water content of the grapes at harvest, coupled with the weather conditions at the time of harvest, will set the tone for the likely quality and characteristics of the wines produced for that year. A wine that is famed for its fruitiness and relatively high alcohol content, for example, will benefit from years where there is early rainfall followed by lots of intense sunshine, giving fat, ripe and sugar rich grapes. Alternatively, if a dry, delicate wine is the usual style, then a hot and dry summer can be disastrous for the quality of the wines produced that year. 

 

The weather conditions are not the only factor, however. There is also the terrain and skill of the wine producer to consider. Whilst ideal weather conditions can certainly help to elevate the standards of the wines from a particular region to a general level of excellence, their absence does not preclude the production of some truly excellent wines from the more skilled and experienced producers.  As a result, there will always be excellent wines available to suit your requirements, whatever the overall characteristics of that particular vintage year. The availability of wines from all over the world means that, in the absence of a favourable vintage in the ideal region of your choice, it is likely that there were classic vintage wines produced in other regions of the world for that year. So, if you were looking ideally for a medium bodied Bordeaux red, but are discouraged by a poor vintage that year for Bordeaux, why not explore the wines available from Italy, California, Australia, South Africa, or any of the other great wine growing regions of the world? You are almost sure to locate a fine wine that suits, with the added kudos of an excellent overall vintage description if that is your desire. Vintage Port By Vintage Port Shop.

 

The other factor to bear in mind though, and one that elevates the identification of a fine vintage wine to something of an art, is that individual wines will respond differently to ageing. Most of the wine produced throughout the world, whatever the qualities of the vintage year as a whole, is intended to be drunk within 2 or 3 years of bottling as it will not respond well to ageing. Vintage wines are a class apart in that they are recognised for the extraordinary subtlety and finesse that ageing in bottle brings. Years of experience and skill on the part of the wine makers has led to the development of wines that are best cellared for decades before they reach their peak of excellence.

 

In this regard, white wines are best avoided as a choice for vintage wine gifts, unless the anniversary is in the range of 10 years or less at the most. White wines rarely benefit from extensive ageing in bottle, and so red wines are much to be preferred. If the recipient tends to be a fan of white wines, aim for a light bodied and fruity red wine and you will not go far wrong.

 

Finding the Right Vintage Wine 

 

Obtaining an appreciation of fine wine is a lifelong pursuit for a great many people and it would of course be presumptive of me to provide any sort of definitive summary here in the limited space available. It is always important to discover for yourself which wines and which producers most favourably match your tastes and preferences. At the same time though, it is important to appreciate that all wines have their strengths and nuances, and as such there is no such thing as the ‘incorrect wine’. Each wine tasted adds to the wealth of experience and helps to refine your choices in the future. 

 

With this in mind I will provide here a starting guide based upon the grape varieties used for the prospective wine. I have included both red and white grape characteristics since blending is common, and you may in any case be considering a recent anniversary such that white wines are an option. Combined with research on the quality of the vintage for the preferred wine region overall, this should arm you with the information needed to begin your search in earnest.

 

Grape Varieties and Their Characteristics

 

Whilst by no means exhaustive, here is a pointer to the main grape varieties and the characteristics that they will lend to the wine produced:

 

• Cabernet Sauvignon – basis for complex, deeply coloured red wines with blackcurrant fruit coming through - can have a plummy, black fruit character – if oaked will give rise to cedarwood or even cigar box tones

 

• Pinot Noir – a temperamental, thin-skinned grape that makes ripe and fruity red wines – tastes are present of red fruits such as strawberry, raspberry and cherry – also famous for a meatiness, reminiscent of meat stock or well hung game

 

• Syrah – a striking red grape with a unique, peppery character – dark and purple fruits, with hints of black pepper, liquorice, ginger and some floral hints, especially violets

 

• Merlot – a plummy, red grape that gives rise to soft and rich wines – has tastes of blackberries and plums, whilst often also exhibiting vegetable tastes – in hot climes can give raisin tastes

 

• Gamay – a light, red grape with strawberry tastes and freshness – the strawberry flavours are accentuated by aromas of peardrops and banana

 

• Grenache – a red grape suited to hot climes giving spicy, fruity wines with high alcohol – flavours of redcurrants, cherries or raspberries – also black pepper spiciness with perhaps hints of ginger, and sometimes even a hint of tar

 

• Chardonnay – fairly neutral, white grape, often with hints of lemon, vanilla, butterscotch – depending upon the level of oaking, may have hints of nutmeg, oatmeal, woodsmoke

 

• Sauvignon Blanc – very fruity white grape – lends a wide range of intense fruit flavours from gooseberry to mango or even passion fruit – can even exhibit blackcurrant tones in the aroma, along with vegetable, earthy tastes

 

• Semillon – a golden grape often used for blending of sweet desert wines – lends flavours of lime peel, honey, and sweetened fruits – often has a metallic, mineral edge

 

• Riesling – a hardy, white grape with a wide range of styles associated – tends to have tastes of lime, and also soft fruits such as apricot or peach – a gentle, floral aroma, and some mineral hints

 

• Chenin Blanc – an acidic white grape often the basis for sparkling or sweet wines – tastes of apples and pears, with a mineral and metallic hint – associated sometimes with a nutty and perhaps even honey undertone

 

• Gewurztraminer – a white grape with a perfumed, flowery disposition – tastes tend to be of overripe soft fruits, with hints of spice such as cinnamon and ginger, and perhaps even cloves – floral aromas tend to be evident

 

This summary of grape characteristics can be used as a guide in assessing any prospective wine against the known tastes of the recipient. Do your research on the range of wines available for your target year, and consider the likely impact of the grapes used in the production of your most favoured options from the regions you are interested in. Consider also those years that are renowned for the overall quality of the vintage (easily researched by combining the region of interest with term “vintage chart” on any internet search), and you will then have all the information you need to make an informed and excellent choice for you memorable vintage wine anniversary gift.

 

An example will suffice to make the point. Say that I am searching for a full bodied, fruity wine from 1982 as an anniversary present. By conducting internet searches of wine regions and “vintage chart” I can discover that 1982 was an excellent vintage overall for Bordeaux reds. I can then visit the websites of prospective online vintage wine merchants and browse the options for Bordeaux red wines from 1982. The tasting notes provided by the merchant will most often be sufficient for me to make my choice, but if not then I can search for information on the specific wine name or producer and then refer to the notes above on grape characteristics to inform my choice of which wines will be most suitable.

 

Experience is the key, so enjoy the process armed with the information this article has provided, and begin your exploration of vintage wines today!

 

 

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