The opportunity to drink really old wines is a rare joy, not solely because of what’s in the glass.
Crucial to the experience is history. What was happening in the world the year the wine was produced? Some might argue that the wine itself is all that matters, but history and the imagination are what gives wine meaning, adding to it a beautiful, important, often joyous and sometimes poignant dimension.
That’s why many people commemorate the birth of a child with wines of the same vintage or search for a wine made the year of their wedding. Aged wines have the power to bring to life events that took place long ago. They tangibly express the passage of time.
Bottles like those have great personal meaning. But when the vintages coincide with profound historical events, the significance of the year and the wine are amplified, as are the emotions that go with it.
