A Case For Buying Bad Vintages Pt. 1
All puns reflect the intention of the writer and are fully realized by Wine Is Confusing.
I want to implore you to be open to the idea of buying wine from years that experts call “bad” vintages.
If, with that sentence, I’ve accomplished my goal, then please write to me and tell me how I wasted several days building a two-part series about why vintage variation is something to lean into, rather than away from, and why you should buy wine from “bad” vintages.
My email address is wineisconfusing@gmail.com.
Why we’re obsessed with terroir
One of the things that makes wine unlike anything else in the material and unseen world is the captivating concept we call terroir. Terroir is the intersection where poets and scientists meet and kind of just stare at each other. Eventually, someone talks first and loses the argument.
Terroir is a sense of place expressed in a wine’s character; what happened at the vineyard that year? It’s something that every winemaker must make their entire personality, because SO much of what happens in the vineyard, from year to year, is out of their control. However, with skill and sometimes luck, they can ride the wave.
But terroir is more than what happened that year. All of the natural elements of the vineyard make an imprint on the wine. Soil type, sun exposure, latitude, altitude, when it rained, drought, storm, and hail can all be tasted in the wine. Whether the vignerons plant cover crops, whether they mow or send sheep to do their grass cutting, how they prune, trim, cover, and irrigate can all be tasted.
The yeast strain living in their region makes an imprint on the wine. Smoke particles from wildfires bind to the sugars in the grapes once they’re crushed. You can taste smoke taint. Warm winters followed by a surprise spring frost can kill the entire crop. Hurricane Hilary in California this year…I’m actually still a little speechless about that one.
What vintage is trying to tell you
All of these weather patterns and climatic elements are held as a story, first in the wine, and then in the year put on the label. The label tells you what year the grapes were harvested, and a quick Google search will reveal tons of writers, winemakers, and importers, obsessively scribbling all over the internet about what happened in that vineyard during that growing season.
That a wine made by the same grapes and the same producer, grown on the same plot of land might taste different from year to year, is one of the most fascinating things about wine. At this point in the climate crisis, it’s also one of the most heartbreaking things.
Or, it’s the thing that pulls us closer to reality—taste this wine. If we don’t make systemic changes, we’re going to render the planet inhabitable for ourselves.
In part two of this article, we’ll look at the terms “good vintage” and “bad vintage” and consider whether these are helpful ways to shop for wine, and what the implications of these terms are for the people who are growing and making your wine.
The short story is this: if you love a producer or a region, you should buy their wine regardless of what experts tell you about that vintage. They have one chance per year to turn a profit. Find producers you love and trust them to know what to do with the many variables that come up year after year.
Love your explanation of terroir!