Shopping for wine can be daunting for both new and seasoned wine lovers, especially when considering various factors such as vintage variation. With vintage affecting overall taste profile, quality, and price across regions, it’s not always clear which vintage offers the best experience or value for you. Here’s a guide to help you navigate these choices and find the vintage that best suits your palate, occasion, and budget.
Refer to the vintage chart by region for overall quality
When evaluating vintages, start by consulting a vintage chart specific to the wine’s region. Vintage charts offer a community overview of how various years performed across regions, summarizing factors like climate, weather, and overall growing conditions. This can be particularly useful for regions known for significant vintage variations, like Bordeaux or Burgundy.
Decide if you are buying to drink now, or to drink later
If you are buying to drink Now: Look for vintages that are currently in their ideal drinking window. Community reviews on CellarTracker can offer insights on recent tasting experiences, helping you identify wines that are ready to be enjoyed. Vintages with a bit of age often are more likely to be in their peak drinking window
Age for Later: If you’re buying to cellar and enjoy later, choose a vintage with strong aging potential. Generally, vintages with good structure, acidity, and balance age better, especially in wines from regions like Barolo, Bordeaux, and Rioja, Napa Cab.
Better understand your palate preference
Just because professional reviewers considered certain vintages to be better vs. other, doesn’t mean your preference will align. You might actually enjoy drinking wine when it’s relatively young or you might enjoy more aged tertiary flavors. One way to find your presences are tying a vertical tasting of similar wines (i.e. same wine in 2005 vs 2010 vs 2020) and paying attention to vintage characteristics to understand if the vintage was warm vs. cool or dry vs. wet.
Use CellarTracker to match your preference with vintage rating chart, recent tasting notes, and average pricing
With CellarTracker you can
keep track of your preference with tasting notes and ratings
get more insights on the flavor profile of specific vintages with historical and recent tasting notes
see community rating for each vintage
get average pricing for each vintage
CellarTracker app and the community can always help you find and choose the right wine based on your personal preference and price range.