The Problem with Vintage Charts

As I revise the latest vintage chart, something we take great pains to do every year, I wonder: Does anyone still use these things? I miss the days when someone would pull a crumpled, folded-up chart from their wallet, a little wine-lover’s bible. It had a certain charm. But now? Is this tool still relevant?

These questions are not meant to undermine the usefulness of vintage charts. Rather, they’ve prompted me to think about improving this resource to support the way we drink today.

For decades, vintage charts have been the go-to guide for determining whether a year was “great,” “good” or “poor.” A 95+ score usually would be awarded to warm, powerful vintages—igniting a rush for a “must-try” vintage with serious cellar potential. Well, where does this leave room for a challenging year that drinks damn brilliantly?

Here’s the thing: We live in an era of great wine, and wine isn’t meant to fit into a neat little box. It’s all about expression—how each vintage reflects the unpredictable dance of weather, terroir and craftsmanship. Hot years deliver bold, fruit-driven wines, while cooler vintages surprise us with freshness, acidity and different types of complexities. Both are valid and worthy of having their place at the table. Every vintage has a story; it’s time we listened to it.

This raises an important question: Why rely on vintage charts that oversimplify? Most charts generalize, reducing an entire vintage in a wide region to a single score based on limited criteria. While this approach has always been the norm, it’s more misleading than ever—or at the very least, fails to spark the interest it should.

A perfect example is Portugal, which is often reduced to just Vintage Port and perhaps Douro reds. But this country screams diversity.

The current model, where a blanket high score is assigned simply because a year was warm, no longer cuts it and came out of a different era of wine drinking. Today’s charts should celebrate the style the vintage delivers. Only then are we celebrating the triumphs and challenges of the harvest. Also, previous scores should be updated—after all, wine evolves and sometimes in surprising ways.

Despite the current gloomy tone of the industry, I remain committed to reigniting interest and desire. My goal is to transform the vintage chart into a tool that’s enjoyable to explore—making wine discovery a joy, not an anxious choice. The wheels are in motion, and if you’re intrigued by where this could go, come join in the fun. You know where to find me. Anna-Christina Cabrales is Wine Enthusiast’s Tasting Director. You can at her: @annachristina722

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