2001 - The first white wines of the new millennium look set to continue the success of recent vintages.
2000 - Another fine year for white wines but a difficult year for red wines - especially in the north. Careful selection has provided some notable exceptions.
1999 - Even the biggest wines have an accessible, fruity character and structure for long-term maturation. A classic vintage for both red and white.
1998 - Rich, powerful reds, most of which will repay further keeping, and well-rounded whites. A fine vintage for both red and white.
1997 - A good source of young-drinking reds, ready before those of the previous two vintages.
2000 - Declared by all major houses as an outstanding year. It has potential to be one of the great vintages of the last 60 years.
1997 - A classic vintage declared by all the major shippers - huge, powerful wines which should be ready for drinking around 2020.
1994 - Generally regarded as the best vintage since 1977 - wines to keep until at least 2015.
1991 - An under-rated vintage, not a big crop but wines of real quality which should start drinking well from 2006.
1985 - A top-rate vintage with firm, fruity wines which will be ready from 2005 to 2020.
1983 - A solid, intense vintage which is drinking well now, but will last for a good few years yet.
1980 - Big, firm-structured wines which will drink well over the next 20 years.
1977 - One of the truly classic vintages, showing both weight and elegance - drink now until 2020.
1970 - Luscious wines which are just coming into their ideal-drinking period, where they will stay for eight or ten years - a great vintage.
2004 - A record amount of Champagne was produced this year, although the Bordeaux region seems stark in comparison to the 2003 vintage.
2003 - The weather supplied the hottest vintage ever witnessed in Bordeaux. The Cabernet Sauvignons are likely to be extraordinary.
2002 - A classic Cabernet Sauvignon vintage, comparable to 1986 and 1996.
2001 - A very variable year for claret. A great year for both dry whites and dessert wines. Some notable, full bodied reds also produced.
2000 - A very small yield for Sauternes and good if not remarkable dry whites, but a great year for red form both sides of the river.
1999 - A good vintage with large yields right across the region - a good source of value for money wines at all levels of the spectrum.
1998 - Difficult, damp conditions for the left-bank wines, but a triumph for St.Emilion and Pomerol.
1997 - A year of scandalous price rises which obscured the reasonable quality of the vintage! Those sensibly priced wines bought forward are full of fruit.
1996 - A left-bank vintage with superb wines from the top estates of the Medoc - firm, tannic, and due for a long life.
1995 - An excellent year all over. The Merlot based wines of the right bank are becoming accessible - the heftier Medoc's will need more time.
Over time all wines, particularly those made by traditional methods with little commercial filtration, will deposit sediment made up predominantly of tannins, and tartrates (a crystal deposit similar to sugar in appearance). These natural deposits are in no way harmful, but are not especially pleasant to drink - therefore decanting older wines by the following method is advisable.
The practice of leaving red wines open to 'breathe' essentially speeds-up the maturing process by increasing the wine's rate of oxidation. Generally this is only necessary for young, full-bodied reds with a high level of tannin (tannic acid). Traditionalists will tell you that such crude methods only detract from the character of the wine, and that if a wine is too tannic you shouldn't be drinking it yet anyway! For most of us, however, the luxury of cellaring wine until it is ready is not a practical option.
So, which wines need to breathe? As this is largely a matter of personal taste, there is no easy answer. A good trick if you are unsure is to purchase a vacu-vin wine saver (available from S.H.Jones), open the wine well in advance of the time you intend to serve it and try a little. If the wine seems fine as it is, simply re-seal it with the vacu-vin until you need it. Otherwise, re-seal it to be opened one to two hours in advance as you think fit.
The traditional view that white wines should be served chilled and red wines at room temperature is a good rule of thumb. However, it is all too common in our modern centrally-heated houses with built-in refrigerators that the whites are served too cold and the reds too warm! The following temperatures are approximate, but can be taken as a good general guide.
Refrigerator chilling is fine for short periods of time, but may make the cork difficult to remove if left for more than a couple of hours. Rapid chilling, using a chiller sleeve (available from S.H.Jones) or 15 minutes in the freezer compartment is a perfectly good alternative and will not harm the wine.
Traditionally wine should be brought up from the cellar a couple of days before it is required - and be given time to settle at room temperature. But in this modern life this routine is not always possible so a few hours standby in the kitchen will suffice. Sometimes more drastic measures are required - but resist the temptations to stand the bottle in hot water or use the microwave! Try and use the anticipation to increase your enjoyment.
Bottles should always be stored on their sides - this keeps the cork moist and airtight. For the same reason, wines should not be stored in the refrigerator for more than a few hours as this can also dry-out the cork. Over long periods of time bottles stored horizontally may leak a little but, although this is annoying, it does not affect the quality of the wine! Wine racks suitable for such storage can be ordered from S. H. Jones to fit whatever space you have available.
The ideal storage temperature for wine is generally agreed to be 11ºc (52ºf), with anything between 5ºc (40ºf) and 18ºc (65ºf) being acceptable. Your wine will mature faster if kept at a higher temperature due to the effect of warmth on the wine's rate of oxidation. However, temperature variation can be more harmful to a wine than a less suitable, but constant temperature - being stored in the warmth of the cupboard-under-the-stairs is better for your wine than the big swings in temperature it will experience in the garage.
Wine is a delicate product and must be stored with consideration given to the amount of light that the wine will be exposed to. All forms of light are potentially harmful, due to the effect of UV on wine, and the effect of light on temperature. It is particularly important for wine to be stored away from direct sunlight, and totally dark conditions are most favourable.