WINES AND YEARS OF HARVEST
Here is a handy table on which years worked best for the wine grapes harvested in the respective regions of wine productions. This table is a good guide especially for the less expensive wines where the year factor is a big factor. From experience, wine sommeliers can tell that even a less good year is not so bad for a good wine producer, but the difference is certainly more noticable in the hands of less good producers. And since we cannot really go and buy expensive wines all the time, it is good to take a look in the table and decide which year of wine is the better one. It is also fun to try and buy the same sort of wine from one producer, but from a good and from a bad year, and to compare the quality. The grading scale ranges from less good years (-) to very good years (+++). For wine enthusiasts only!
| FRANCE | Bordeaux | Bourgogne | Alsace | Champagne | Rhône |
| 2005 | +++ | +++ | +++ | ++ | ++ |
| 2004 | + | ++ | ++ | ++ | ++ |
| 2003 | + | + | + | + | ++ |
| 2002 | ++ | +++ | ++ | ++ | ++ |
| 2001 | ++ | + | ++ | + | ++ |
| 2000 | +++ | ++ | ++ | +++ | ++ |
| 1999 | ++ | +++ | + | ++ | +++ |
| 1998 | ++ | ++ | +++ | ++ | +++ |
| 1997 | + | ++ | ++ | ++ | +++ |
| 1996 | ++ | +++ | ++ | +++ | ++ |
| 1995 | ++ | +++ | ++ | ++ | +++ |
| 1994 | + | ++ | +++ | - | ++ |
| 1993 | ++ | ++ | ++ | ++ | + |
| 1992 | - | ++ | ++ | + | + |
| 1991 | + | + | + | + | ++ |
| 1990 | +++ | ++ | +++ | +++ | +++ |
| 1989 | +++ | ++ | +++ | +++ | +++ |
| 1988 | ++ | ++ | ++ | + | +++ |
| 1987 | + | + | ++ | + | ++ |
| 1986 | ++ | ++ | ++ | +++ | ++ |
| 1985 | ++ | ++ | ++ | ++ | ++ |
| 1984 | - | - | + | - | ++ |
| 1983 | ++ | + | +++ | ++ | + |
| 1982 | +++ | ++ | + | + | ++ |
| 1981 | ++ | -red/++white | + | - | + |
| 1980 | - red/+++ white | ++ | - | + | + |
| 1979 | ++ | -red/++white | +++ | ++ | +++ |
| 1978 | + | ++ | + | + | +++ |
For other countries, go to the next page...