THE CURIOUS QUAFFER
ANNIVERSARY WINES
A welcome goodbye to 2020 - a year like no other ! Hello to 2021 - with huge hope that , in time , it will prove to be a much better one for all of us !
Whatever the year , however , there will be many of us who will have , or who will know someone who has , a special occasion to celebrate . I am sure that everyone reading this article will fall into this category , one way or another , in 2021 . It may be an important wedding anniversary , an important birthday or some other major milestone to celebrate . Whatever it is then , more often than not , the purchase of a special gift falls for consideration .
Some of you will probably know that people , for a special occasion , will often look to a bottle , or even possibly to a case , of wine as a gift . Some of you may have already been down this road , yourselves , in the past . Does not a major milestone deserve a magnificent wine to match ? For a golden wedding anniversary gift why not find a stunning wine that is also 50 years old ?
Of course , every year the concept and challenge here is different . In 2021 , for a silver wedding anniversary gift , you would be looking at a 25 year old wine from 1996 ; whereas last year you would have been looking at a bottle of wine from 1995 for the same gift . For a 21st birthday gift you will , in 2021 , be looking at a bottle of wine from 2000 ; whereas next year you will be looking at a bottle of wine from 2001 . Just a single year , when it comes to vintage and the buying of a decent bottle of wine , can make all the difference . A wines vintage often makes all the difference when it comes to both its quality and , as importantly , its longevity .
The most important tip , when seeking out an ‘ anniversary wine ’ is simple – do your research . There are many retailers that offer ‘ anniversary wines ’ for sale . Most will provide you with a decent bottle to suit your needs . However , do not just buy a wine based on the fact that the year on the bottle is the year you are looking for . You need to seek out the best wines , from the best vintages , to give you something special . You need to find something that has aged well and which has the capacity to live a long life . Once you have found something that might fit the bill , also have a look to find any recent tasting notes for the wine . Here , try out Cellar Tracker or Vivino .
Leaving aside , for now , undertaking your own research , here are a few pointers for what to look out for in 2021 - for a special occasion that may be on the horizon for you ( plus a reminder of some of the news headlines , from those years , that many of us may have forgotten about I guess ).
A 10 year anniversary wine ( 2011 ) The year 2011 : ( i ) was the year that the world witnessed the deaths of both Osama bin Laden and Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi ; ( ii ) was the year that Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot at Westminster Abbey ; ( iii ) was the year of the Japanese earthquake which triggered a deadly tsunami ; ( iv ) was the year of the UK phone hacking scandal which saw the demise of the News of the World . From 2011 have a look for : ( i ) vintage port – an exceptional , and described in many quarters as a legendary or unprecedented , vintage ; certainly one of the best vintages for decades , this is definitely a wine to search for ; ( ii ) the sweet wines from Sauternes and Barsac in France – a great vintage with concentrated wines , with great freshness and wonderful botrytis fruit ; certainly the best of the wines from the Bordeaux region this year ; ( iii ) Piedmont – excellent , ripe , fleshy and sumptuous wines from both Barolo and Barbaresco ; a good year for Barbera too ; ( iv ) Germany – an extremely good year all round , especially for Riesling fans , with beautifully balanced wines .
An 18th birthday wine ( 2003 ) The year 2003 : ( i ) was the year that England beat Australia in Sydney to win the Rugby World Cup final ; ( ii ) was the year that we lost both comic legend Bob Hope and the singer , musician and actor Johnny Cash ; ( iii ) was the year that Saddam Hussein was captured ; ( iv ) was the year when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated on re-entering the earth ’ s atmosphere , leading to the death of all seven crew onboard .
34 wirrallife . com