How to Buy a Vintage White Wine

White wine does not have to old in order to be considered a vintage white wine. Vineyards declare vintages when they have had an exceptional production year. The great vintages are out there for white wine, you just have to find the right years. The weather, a huge factor in winemaking, is not the same all over the world and as a result, neither are the vintages.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Buy California Chardonnay from the following years: 1988, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1999.

2. Seek the following vintages for white wines from the Alsace region of France: 1989, 1990, 1996, 1997 and 2001

3. Purchase white wine from 1989, 1990, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2004 if you are looking for an Australian white from the Hunter Valley.

4. Obtain a bottle of German Riesling from 1988, 1989, 2001 and 2002.

5. Choose a French White Burgundy from 1990, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997 or 2002.

6. Procure a sweet white wine from the Loire Valley in France from the following years: 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003 or 2004.

7. Search for wines made in the years of 1989, 1990, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2004 if it is a sweet dessert wine from the Sauternes region of France you desire.

Tips & Warnings

• Visit a wine merchant and ask his opinion on the best vintages of white wine.
• California Chardonnay from the early- to mid-1990s should be consumed now. This wine will begin to deteriorate in flavor and body once it has passed its prime.
• White Bordeaux from the mid- to late-1990s should be consumed now.

Resources

• Get comprehensive vintage charts at Winesquire.

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