Rhône valley – a good vintage ; but try and seek out some of the superb wines from Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage here ; ( ii ) port – this was a good , if not outstanding , vintage ; but some great wines to look at ; ( iii ) Spain – the 1991 vintage in both Rioja and Ribera del Duero was very good and produced many excellent , intense , wines ; ( iv ) California - again you will also find some decent cabernet sauvignon wines from the state ; ( v ) Hungary – a very good quality vintage for wines from Tokaji .
A 40 year anniversary or birthday wine ( 1981 ) The year 1981 : ( i ) was the year that Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer at St Pauls Cathedral in London ; ( ii ) was the year of shootings – President Regan is shot , the Pope is shot in Rome and Egypt ’ s President Sadat is shot and assassinated ; ( iii ) was the year that the ‘ gang of four ’ launch the SDP ; ( iv ) was the year of the Toxteth riots in Liverpool .
From 1981 have a look out for : ( i ) Spain – this has always been viewed as one of Rioja ’ s great vintages , with wines being reported as being at the peak of their maturity now ; ( ii ) Bordeaux – a good vintage , but overshadowed to a large extent by the 1982 vintage that followed ( but some decent wines around still – but be selective here as many will be past their best ); ( iii ) Italy – a good vintage in Tuscany and Piedmont , with wines that are also probably now at the peak of their maturity ( again be careful and selective ); ( ii ) port – no vintage Port was made , but I have seen , in a number of places , a recommendation for the 1981 Colheita Port .
A 50 year ‘ golden ’ wedding anniversary or birthday wine ( 1971 ) The year 1971 : ( i ) was the year that councils defied Education Secretary Margaret Thatcher ’ s plan to end free school milk to children over the age of seven ; ( ii ) was the year the British Government launched a new decimal currency across the country ; ( iii ) was the year that legendary Doors singer Jim Morrison was found dead ; ( iv ) was the year that 66 people died following a match between Old Firm rivals Celtic and Rangers after barriers collapsed at Ibrox .
From 1971 : ( i ) Champagne – a very good vintage ; the best wines are elegant and delicate ; the finest are still drinking well now ; ( ii ) Germany – a great vintage across the country ; rich and balanced wines ; ( iii ) Italy – outstanding wines from , and one of the countries great vintages , for Barolo , Barbaresco , Chianti and Brunello , where you will find consistently outstanding wines ; again be careful , but some of the best will still be drinking fine ; ( iii ) the sweet wines from Sauternes and Barsac were , yet again , outstanding in 1971 .
A 60 year anniversary or birthday wine ( 1961 ) The year 1961 : ( i ) was the year that John F Kennedy was sworn in as US President ; ( ii ) was the year that the Nazi war crimes trials began ; ( iii ) was the end of the road for the marriage of Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller ; ( iv ) was the year that Alan Shepard became the first American in space .
From 60 years ago : ( i ) although not generally a declared year , keep a look out for port – outstanding quality and longevity ; ( ii ) in Italy , 1961 is considered to be one of the greatest vintages of the last century ; wines from Barolo , Barbaresco , Barbera , Chianti and Brunello were all outstanding ; again be selective here , but many of these wines are still within their drinking window ; ( iii ) Bordeaux – 1961 is a legendary vintage here ; some of these wines will be past their best now , but the best from the Medoc , Right Bank and Pessac Leognan will still be fabulous and the best may still have capacity to improve a little ; very special .
You will find wines from further back than 1961 too – for perhaps an even greater celebration ! I recently saw a 75cl bottle of 1931 Château Mossé Rivesaltes ( that great sweet wine from Roussillon ) on sale for £ 695 . However , the further we go back , the less there is to choose from – for obvious reasons . There are older wines out there – you just have to look hard ; and dig deep .
Whilst vintage is important – a vintage guide is only a summary of the best vintages in various wine producing regions . If you go for any of the vintages , in the regions referred to above , you shouldn ’ t go too far wrong . However , the truth is that good producers make excellent wines in lesser years . So don ’ t necessarily just stick with a vintage – although it is a good place to start .
If you have any sort of celebration this year – I hope you can celebrate it properly when the time allows . Whilst we are still in lockdown , however , enjoy your wine . As usual , all the newspapers and magazines in January are awash with ideas for diets ; to burn off those excess calories that have been consumed over the Christmas and New Year period . From these , it is great to see that the virtues of the Mediterranean are still being extolled . In the Times only last week , whilst extolling the virtues of this diet , I read the words : “ When to drink wine ( it ’ s good news if you ’ re over 50 )”. Confirmation followed that wine “ really is medicinal ” in this age group – good for insulin sensitivity and the heart . My diet for 2021 is sorted !! Only in moderation of course .
36 wirrallife . com