LIQUID INVESTMENTS
MICHAEL FRIDJHON: Will today’s vintages stand the test of time?
The conversation on vintages' longevity is fuelled by climate change, and a newer generation of wine drinkers who don't defer gratification, writes Michael Fridjhon
Without even a twinge of nostalgia I can safely assert that 1974 has been the best SA vintage in living memory. Almost every cellar produced fabulous wine, and the bottles I come across even today are generally still very good, despite 42 years of erratic storage. The 1972s came close, but they are now mostly showing their age, and the 1976s, though lighter, have been better than "pretty" and remarkably long-lived. In those days there was a kind of received wisdom which said that the best vintages were from the even years (as if the heavens embraced order in the midst of a random viticultural universe). As a result there was very little respect shown for the 1971s, 1973s, and 1975s. However, those that I’ve tasted recently have done pretty well: they lacked the weight and intensity of – in particular – the 1972s, but they have more than made up for it in balance and freshness. Will it be possible, 30 to 40 years hence, to have the same discussion about 21st-century vintages and for ...
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