Highlights
Sept 2010
Vintage Charts.
August 2010
Redesigned layout.
Contact Info
The Quick Quide Vintage Charts
Contents
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Recent Vintages (1996-2008) -
5
"Majors" 1993-2001
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5
"Majors" 1981-1992
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5
"Majors" 1968-1980
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Rioja
only 1925-1969
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Harvest
Page - Other Regions (through 2001)
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Ageing
Tables
Top Spanish Wine Regions: 1993-2001
REGION Year: '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 ------------------------------------------------------------- Rioja G * * E G E G G E Penedés E G G E E E E E E Ribera del Duero f E * * G E * E * Valdepeñas G G E E G E G E E Rueda G G G E E E E E G Ratings: p=Poor, f=Fair, G=Good, E=Excellent, *=Outstanding --------------------------------------------------------------------
Top Spanish Wine Regions: 1981-1992
REGION Year: '81 '82 '83 '84 '85 '86 '87 '88 '89 '90 '91 '92 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Rioja E * G G G G E G G G E G Penedés G E G G * f G E E E E G Ribera del Duero * E E f E * G G * G E G Valdepeñas * E E * F E E E * E E G Rueda E G G G G G E G G G G G Ratings: p=Poor, f=Fair, G=Good, E=Excellent, *=Outstanding --------------------------------------------------------------------
Top Spanish Wine Regions: 1968-1980
REGION Year: '68 '70 '71 '72 '73 '74 '75 '76 '77 '78 '79 '80 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Rioja E * p p G G E G f E f G Penedés f E G * E G E * G * f G Ribera del Duero E * p f E G G E p f G G Valdepeñas E * p f E f G p f G p E Rueda - G f p G G G f f E E f Ratings: p=Poor, f=Fair, G=Good, E=Excellent, *=Outstanding --------------------------------------------------------------------
Rioja Ratings: 1925-1969
Year: '55 '56 '57 '58 '59 '60 '61 '62 '63 '64 '65 '66 '67 '68 '69 * G f * E G G E f * p f f E f Year: '40 '41 '42 '43 '44 '45 '46 '47 '48 '49 '50 '51 '52 '53 '54 f G E G G p f E * E f f * p G Year: '25 '26 '27 '28 '29 '30 '31 '32 '33 '34 '35 '36 '37 '38 '39 E p p E f p E f f * E f f p f --------------------------------------------------------------------Note: These are generally accepted ratings of the quality of the harvest for each of the 5 major regions. The "*" represent the recognized "banner" years. Those left blank indicate years before the region was officially given its D.O. status. For more annual ratings for the rest of the D.O. regions, check the Harvest section.
Ageing Table for Spanish Wines
Type Region/Type Starts Downhill After ==== =========== ===================== Red Ribera de Duero 15-20 years Rioja 15-20 years Bierzo, Valdeorras 10-12 years La Mancha, Navarra 5-10 years Valdepenas, Penedes 5-7 years Carinena, Borja 5-7 years Tarragona, Emporda 5-7 years Utiel-Requena 5-7 years Priorato 5 years Jumilla, Alicante 5 years Cabernet-Sauvignon 10-25 years ---------------------------------------------------- White Oak aged 10-15 years Alella type 5-10 years Fruity 2-3 years Chardonnay 5 years ---------------------------------------------------- Roses all regions 2 years ---------------------------------------------------- Sherries Fino 1 year Amontillados 30-40 years Olorosos " other sweet wines " ----------------------------------------------------Notes:
1. These are general guidelines, as actual "life expectancy" depends on many factors: grape variety, the harvest, ageing methods, and storage conditions like temperature and humidity.
2. Special Thanks to José Peñín, noted Spanish wine expert and author of many books and articles on wine, whose "Guia Peñín de los Vinos Españoles" provided the information for this chart.
(Reprinted with permission)