Top UK wine writer Hugh Johnson has claimed that wine vintages do not really matter any more.

Speaking to UK broadsheet the Times, the veteran taster said that numerous techniques had been developed by wine growers to ensure that their crops are no longer ruined by bad weather or diseases. He claims that any year is now a good one for drinkers.

Johnson's statement, displayed in his 2008 Pocket Wine Book, is likely to divide opinions in the wine industry, especially in the sale houses. The writer railed against what he sees as wine snobbery.

'The reasons people buy a particular wine are complex but have a lot to do with snobbery,' he said. 'If you sold a non-vintage Bordeaux nobody would buy it. It would be just as good, but it would not have the romance and interest.'

Other wine writers, including Spanish expert John Radford, agreed.

'There have been so many wonders in research and we know so much that there are never going to be vintages of the appalling quality we witnessed after the washouts in France 1965 and 1968,' said Radford.

Members of the wine trade were more sceptical of Johnson's views, however, saying that climate contiditions in the year still play a large part in the wine.

'Winemakers may have all this technology, but great vintages are made in the deckchair when Mother Nature shines and they don't have to do anything,' said Stephen Williams, managing director of the Antique Wine Company in London.
quelle: www.decanter.com

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