A very good year

[bustagrape]

Is 2002 considered a good wine year? What determines a good year. What years are considered good years for a medium priced vintage wine?

[Innkeeper]

Hi Bustagrape, and welcome to the Wine Board. There is no such thing as a universal good or great year throughout the world. Even within a single country such as France, vintages can vary from one region to the next. For example, Bordeaux may be fine, and Burgundy may have problems.

The quality of the vintage is determined by many things, but the most critical is the weather throughout the year. An extra deep freeze in winter, hail at budding time, and rain at harvest, are among many perils the weather can bring.

It is too early to tell about 2002 in the Northern Hemisphere. The Southern Hemisphere showed a mixed bag. There was drought in Australia, and heavy rain in Chile. You will never really know about a given vintage, until you open a bottle from that vintage and try it.

[bustagrape]

thanks Innkeeper. I guess I realized that the quality of the vintage varies from region to region. I guess now that you mention it, that I realize it depends on many factors. However, It is my understanding that there are years that the wine from a certain year is collected generally because it was a good year for most regions taht wine is produced.

[bustagrape]

Thanks Innkeeper. I guess I realized that the quality of the vintage varies from region to region. I guess now that you mention it, that I realize it depends on many factors. However, It is my understanding that there are years that the wine from a certain year is collected generally because it was a good year for most wine producing regions.

[Innkeeper]

There may have been a year when all the wine in the world reached a favorable plateau, but I have no idea when that might have been.