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 2023’s significant anniversary vintages:

 

80th Anniversary Wine | Wine from 1943

In France this was the best of the war time vintages with some great Bordeaux.

70th Anniversary Wine | Wine from 1953

Some good Bordeaux, both red and white, produced and a good year for Italy where Barolo did well.

60th Anniversary Wine | Wine from 1963

Very sadly (my birth year) it was a poor year with the exception of Ports and Cognac. The port vintage was and is legendary.

50th Anniversary Wine | Wine from 1973

It's a shame for the soon to be 50 year olds that this year was not so much a mixed bag, but a general poor one. Recent tastings however have shown that some Bordeaux have faired better than expected. Some good wines in Tuscany and Piedmont. 

40th Anniversary Wine | Wine from 1983

Generally a very good year. France produced very good wines across the regions with Sauterne being one of the best ever. The Bordeaux red are in the classic mould and are drinking well. Vintage Ports are good also. The New World wasn't so good with extreme weather during the growing season.

30th Anniversary Wine | Wines from 1993

A varied year. Some reasonable Bordeaux, but the best wines come from Burgundy and Champagne. from the new world California was best, but a little harder to find.

25th Anniversary Wine | Wines from 1998

A year where quality varied, but some regions produced excellent wines. So varied that Bordeaux from the right bank, Pomerol & Saint Emilion, produced better wines than those of the Medoc on the left bank. The Rhone valley had a good year along with Spain and Italy. Piedmont in particular. In the New World it was all about Australia, which had a fabulous year.

20th Anniversary Wine | Wines from 2003

Overall this heatwave year produced a good vintage. Europe favoured the red wines over the whites. Sauterne being the honourable exception producing great wines. Outside of Europe, California, Australia and South Africa all had a good vintage.

18th Anniversary Wine | Wines from 2005

Any celebration connected to this year will be great as it was an excellent vintage for most regions of the world. Only Italy was less successful, but still good wines.

10th Anniversary Wine | Wine from 2013

A mixed year for Europe. Spain, Germany, France (Bordeaux) had an average year. Other French regions (Sauterne, Burgundy, Champagne & Rhone) produced good wines. Italy was exceptional as were all the New World regions. Wines to drink or cellar.

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.