The Wine Cru - Anniversary Wines

Whether you are celebrating a significant birthday or wedding anniversary, a bottle of vintage wine from a specific year can make a wonderful gift to celebrate the occasion with!

Milestone years should be celebrated with a special bottle worthy of the special day and evoke happy memories.

Why not make it extra special with our fantastic gift wrapping service and include a personal message?

Here are some notes on 2024’s significant anniversary vintages:

80th Anniversary Wine | Wine from 1944

In France Bordeaux faired reasonably well, but most of Europe had been affected by the war. For port it was not a declared vintage, but Colheita and Tawny’s were good.

70th Anniversary Wine | Wines from 1954

Not great in Bordeaux. Spain and Italy were okay and again Colheita and tawny ports were good.

60th Anniversary Wine | Wines from 1964

Good wines across Europe with Bordeaux, Burgundy and Italy all had some great wines, but not uniformly. In Bordeaux for example the right bank wines fared better than the left bank Medocs. Spain takes the top plaudits with excellent Rioja.

50th Anniversary Wine | Wine from 1974

A mix vintage across Europe with heavy rain most of the year. Italy and Spain fared a little better. California had excellent wines.

40th Anniversary Wine | Wine from 1984

Again sadly not a great year across Europe, but winemaking had improved so some fruity, if a little light, wines were produced. The USA, Australia and South Africa had a good year.

30th Anniversary Wine | Wines from 1994

A varied year. some reasonable Bordeaux and Burgundy, but the best wines come from Alsace. In the new world California and Australia were best. Very good vintage port.

25th Anniversary Wine | Wines from 1999

A mixed picture in France, very good Burgundy and reasonable Bordeaux. The northern Rhone fared well. Good wines from Tuscany with Chianti’s doing better than the Barolo’s. Some great wines in Spain also. In Australia Shiraz was best.

20th Anniversary Wine | Wines from 2004

A year best summed up as the almost year. Good wines were made in most regions, but they just stopped short of excellent. In Italy, Tuscany & Piedmont had an excellent year as did Spain and Germany. From the USA to Australia great wines were made.

18th Anniversary Wine | Wines from 2006

A good vintage right across the wine growing regions of the world. More great wines than 2004, but still some fell short of excellent. Red Bordeaux was good, dry white less so and the sweet wines of Sauternes were excellent. Italy did very well in general as did Spain. In the new world Australia and New Zealand had the best year with USA and South Africa a little behind them.

10th Anniversary Wine | Wines from 2014

France stood out in Europe with Bordeaux and Burgundy both producing great wines along with Champagne, the Loire and Alsace. Good wines were made in the rest of Europe. More varied in the new world countries. Good wines, but not great.

We still have some stocks of 2023 anniversary wines. Click here to see our selection.

One of the many things we love about wine is its ability to surprise. Enjoying wines for vintages that have been written off as poor, and opening older vintages that have still tasted alive. How can we tell the drinkability of venerable bottles? The short answer is we can’t. Wine is a living, breathing entity that can be affected by storage conditions along the way. If you would like to discuss any specific wine or vintages please don’t hesitate to get in touch either by using you chat function or the contact form or WhatsApp bubble.