09/13/05 Vintage

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran and with the wine harvest in process it's time that we revisit the topic of a vintage by discussing what a vintage is and why one vintage might be better than another. The vintage or year that is stated on the wine's label indicates the year that the grapes were harvested. Since winemaking begins in the vineyard, and good grapes are essential to the entire process the weather each year will influence the quality of the fruit we get to make wine. It takes a favorable growing season to produce quality grapes. Sooo & when the growing season is exceptional it stands to reason that the grapes will be of very high quality, which in turn should produce wines of exceptional quality and those vintages get better ratings. That is basically what all the fuss is about. When a vintage from a particular area receives recognition, the wines from that vintage become sought after and highly prized. Remember that just because it was a good vintage in Washington or Idaho doesn't mean that it was a good vintage in Italy or Chile. The way to find out about the vintages in a region that you are interested would be to read wine publications or ask your local wine retailer. Seeking out a vintage chart can help also. These charts will give the consensus as to how a region has rated from vintage to vintage. And this doesn't always translate to higher prices. There are many wineries that keep their wines in the same price range and just pass the vintage value on to their customers. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at Vine to Wine dot net and thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.