1978 Wine and Port Vintage
Italian: 1978 was a trouble free vintage across the Tuscany region with an early spring, warm but not excessively hot summer and well distributed rainfall. There was a certain amount of rain early in the harvest but those producers who picked later benefited from a period of uninterrupted fine weather. Altogether for Tuscany this was a 4 out of 5 Vintage. Conversely, the year started with cold and damp weather in Piedmont. Spring was particularly wet with lower than average seasonal temperatures; not until the second half of June did the weather pick up, too late for the flowering, which took place in very wet conditions causing a significant reduction in the crop. After light rains at the beginning of September, the weather suddenly turned around and the rest of the month was hot and dry with a marked difference between day and nighttime temperatures. The dramatic improvement continued through until the end of the Nebbiolo harvest during the third week of October. Natural selection and a warm autumn meant a very small crop of thick-skinned Nebbiolo grapes in Barolo and Barbaresco. By the end of the season this hailed as a great, long-lived vintage with a rating of 5/5. The produce of an exceptional vintage, 1970 ageing wine such as Barolo would make an excellent 45 year old wine gift for any birthday or anniversary.
Bordeaux: The 1978 wine vintage was excellent for the Bordeaux region. The dry, hot summer produced wines that were medium-bodied, deeply coloured, fruity and moderately tannic. The wines reached their peak of maturity in the 1990s but are still drinking well now and will continue to do so for some years to come.
Portugal: 
1978 was a good Port vintage, although not a declared one; the wines are not outstanding but are still attractive and drinkable. 1978 was the year when the labelling of 'single quinta' became popular. Michael Symington, Head Winemaker at Symington Family Estates (Owners of Warre's, Dow's, Cockburn's, Smith Woodhouse and Graham's among others) wrote of the 1978 vintage "Musts showed exceptional colour and body and very dark, heavy wines have certainly been made. Not a trace of mould or rot was to be seen on the grapes coming in, and seldom can a Vintage have been made from more uniformly healthy grapes."
This Year in History: Fun Fact: Louise Brown, the first “test-tube baby,” was born healthy in Oldham General Hospital, UK.
Eurovision Winner: Israel with the song "A-Ba-Ni-Bi" by Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta
Born in this Year: Matthew Bellamy, Singer, Lead singer, guitarist, pianist, and songwriter for the rock band Muse, the group known for songs like "Starlight" and "Uprising." He is joined in the band by bassist Christopher Wolstenholme and drummer Dominic Howard. He prefers to use the same guitar as Jimi Hendrix. In 2010, he set the Guinness world record for most guitars smashed on a tour; he destroyed 140 during his Absolution Tour.
Top Grossing Movie: Grease
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64 products found.
Chateau Haut Bailly, 1978
Graves Grand Cru Classe
The red wines of Château Haut-Bailly are considered to be amongst the best of Pessac-Léognan. Traditional vinification of the fruit of old vines gives wines that can be rather austere in their youth, but which have a marvellous ability to age. Consistently top quality and excellent value for money.
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Price: $114.60 USD
Stock: 1 in Stock
Chateau Pape Clement, 1978
Pessac-Leognan Cru Classe
With a vibrant medium garnet colour the 1978 Pape Clement shows a lifted bouquet of spice, graphite, subtle tobacco and dried herbs. On the palate blackcurrant, plum and sour cherry interwoven with subtle dried herbs, tobacco and earth. Smooth and seamless mid-palate with lively acidity and a long and satisfying finish with hints of menthol and fine grain tannins. At its peak now.
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Price: $114.60 USD
Stock: 1 in Stock
Chateau Rieussec, 1978
Sauternes 1er Cru Classe
Sweet White Wine
Beautiful copper in colour with bouquet that can fill a room with apricots and gardenia with a hint of ocean breeze. In the mouth it is wonderfully delicious as most desert wines are but what set this apart is it's not so sweet with good firm tannin structure and a bit of honeydew and cinnamon on the back end. Also as with most desert wines the finish lingers for (seemingly) hours and butter, honey, and citrus coating your throat. This wine is absolutely wonderful.
Château Rieussec is a prestigious Bordeaux wine estate located in the Sauternes appellation, within the Bordeaux wine region of France. …
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Price: $164.36 USD
Stock: 4 in Stock
Chateau Rieussec, 1978
Sauternes 1er Cru Classe
Sweet White Wine
Beautiful copper in colour with bouquet that can fill a room with apricots and gardenia with a hint of ocean breeze. In the mouth it is wonderfully delicious as most desert wines are but what set this apart is it's not so sweet with good firm tannin structure and a bit of honeydew and cinnamon on the back end. Also as with most desert wines the finish lingers for (seemingly) hours and butter, honey, and citrus coating your throat. This wine is absolutely wonderful.
Château Rieussec is a prestigious Bordeaux wine estate located in the Sauternes appellation, within the Bordeaux wine region of France. …
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Price: $151.62 USD
Stock: 1 in Stock
Chateau Suduiraut, 1978
New
Sauternes 1er Grand Cru Classe
A rare vintage from an exceptional Château close to d'Yquem. The 1978 Suduiraut reveals a textbook, light gold colour with a slight greenish hue. There is good acidity, high alcohol, and considerable sweetness with a long sweet finish.
Château Suduiraut is a renowned Bordeaux wine estate located in the Sauternes appellation within the Bordeaux region of France. The estate is particularly known for producing sweet white wines, and like other Sauternes producers, it utilizes the Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grape varieties, often affected by noble rot, to create rich and complex wines. …
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Price: $114.60 USD
Stock: 1 in Stock
Chianti, 1978
Caseiaoli
Tuscan wine (Italian Toscana) is Italian wine from the Tuscany region. Located in central Italy along the Tyrrhenian coast, Tuscany is home to some of the world's most notable wine regions. Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano are primarily made with Sangiovese grape whereas the Vernaccia grape is the basis of the white Vernaccia di San Gimignano.
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Price: $87.91 USD
Stock: 1 in Stock
Chianti, 1978
Castelgreve
Chianti, situated in Tuscany in central Italy, is home to probably the best-known and most iconic of all Italian wines. Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano are primarily made with Sangiovese grape whereas the Vernaccia grape is the basis of the white Vernaccia di San Gimignano.
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Price: $87.91 USD
Stock: 3 in Stock
Cotes de Bourg, 1978
Chateau La Grolet
The 1978 Cotes de Bourg is deep ruby in colour with garnet rim. Some class on the nose, black fruits, leather and white pepper. The palate gives purity of fruit and soft tannins. A very enjoyable and food-worthy claret.
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Price: $87.91 USD
Stock: 1 in Stock
Dao, 1978
Porta dos Cavaleiros, Dao
Caves S. Joao, established in 1920, became a dominant force in Portuguese winemaking in the early 20th century with their houses Porta dos Cavaleiros in Dao and Frei Joao in Bairrada. Given the shifting trends in consumer preferences, Bairrada and Dao fell to obscurity in the 1990s when critical influence drove the demand for bigger, extracted, warmer climate wines. As in all things, however, what comes around goes around! Sure enough, 20 years later savvy consumers and food-conscious sommeliers are looking for finesse and freshness and heading back to Bairrada and Dao. Wines that when young had a vegetal character, …
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Price: $100.65 USD
Stock: 119 in Stock
Delaforce Vintage Port, 1978
Quinta da Corte Vintage port
Review in the Port Forum
"Pale auburn in colour, with a rose rim. Floral honey on the nose, pleasant but not strong. Dusty sweet redcurrant jelly on the tongue, with the tannins showing through as a gentle dusty persistence. Floral and rose-water flavours in the mouth, not a heavyweight, but perfectly pleasant drinking. Nice redcurrant aftertaste, with an enjoyable slight bitterness to the finish." AHB Port Forum 2010
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Price: $189.84 USD
Stock: 1 in Stock
Ferreira, 1978
Ferreira Vintage Port - Cellar Release
MAGNUM FORMAT 150cl
Includes Original Wooden Gift Box
This rare 1978 port wine is an exceptional wine produced from a careful selection of grapes grown on the company's estates.
Referred to since 1751, Ferreira has always been a synonym for great quality Portuguese wine. The history of the brand is intertwined with the history of the evolution of the Douro Demarcated Region, delimited in 1756, and its Port and still wines. Years later, the family company came under the management of Antónia Adelaide, widow of António Bernardo II.
Known to be a woman gifted with exceptional energy and a rare commercial talent, she managed to give a great boost to viticulture in the Douro and develop a notable social welfare activity in the region. …
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Price: $630.67 USD
Stock: 11 in Stock
Madeira, 1978
Barbeito Vinhos - Sercial - Frasqueira
Ricardo Freitas is the managing director and winemaker for Vinhos Barbeito. He grew up surrounded by the magical old vintages of Madeira that his grandfather collected and sold. His winemaking, blending and tasting ability has made him one of the leading figures of winemaking on the island. In fact, none other than the esteemed Jancis Robinson has referred to the wines of Barbeito as "the Lafite of Madeira."
The 1978 Barbeito Sercial was aged in old French oak casks since February 1979 and bottled in December of 2003. Deep amber in color with a mesmerizing nose of orange peel, almond and smoke. …
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Price: $406.43 USD
Stock: 10 in Stock
Merlot, 1978
Cecilia Danieli
Merlot can also produce a delightful and intriguing pure varietal wine. While Merlot has a long history of use as a blending wine, pure Merlot wines have been relatively slow in gaining momentum in Italy. That too has changed and today some of the world’s best Merlot wines bear Italian labels.
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Price: $87.91 USD
Stock: 2 in Stock
Merlot, 1978
Maschio
Special Offer | Was £69 | Now £35
Merlot can also produce a delightful and intriguing pure varietal wine. While Merlot has a long history of use as a blending wine, pure Merlot wines have been relatively slow in gaining momentum in Italy. That too has changed and today some of the world’s best Merlot wines bear Italian labels.
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Price: $44.59 USD
Stock: 1 in Stock
Montepulciano, 1978
d'Abruzzo, Bosco Nestore
Montepulciano is a red wine grape variety grown widely in central Italy, most notably its eastern Abruzzo, Marche and Molise regions. The variety was named after the Tuscan parish of Montepulciano, but, confusingly, is not used in the famous wines produced there (see Vino Nobile di Montepulciano). Globally appreciated for their soft flavors, strong color and gentle tannins, Montepulciano wines are typically best consumed in their youth and with food. The deep-purple juice of Montepulciano grapes is used in varying proportions to produce wines under roughly 50 of Italy's DOC and DOCG titles. Although sometimes used on its own, …
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Price: $87.91 USD
Stock: 21 in Stock
Montepulciano, 1978
d'Abruzzo, Dario d'Angelo
Special Offer | Was £99 | Now £39
Montepulciano is a red wine grape variety grown widely in central Italy, most notably its eastern Abruzzo, Marche and Molise regions. The variety was named after the Tuscan parish of Montepulciano, but, confusingly, is not used in the famous wines produced there (see Vino Nobile di Montepulciano). Globally appreciated for their soft flavors, strong color and gentle tannins, Montepulciano wines are typically best consumed in their youth and with food. The deep-purple juice of Montepulciano grapes is used in varying proportions to produce wines under roughly 50 of Italy's DOC and DOCG titles. Although sometimes used on its own, …
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Price: $49.69 USD
Stock: 1 in Stock
Montepulciano, 1978
d'Abruzzo, Miglianico - BIG BOTTLE of 3,78 LITERS
Montepulciano is a red wine grape variety grown widely in central Italy, most notably its eastern Abruzzo, Marche and Molise regions. The variety was named after the Tuscan parish of Montepulciano, but, confusingly, is not used in the famous wines produced there (see Vino Nobile di Montepulciano). Globally appreciated for their soft flavors, strong color and gentle tannins, Montepulciano wines are typically best consumed in their youth and with food. The deep-purple juice of Montepulciano grapes is used in varying proportions to produce wines under roughly 50 of Italy's DOC and DOCG titles. Although sometimes used on its own, …
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Price: $559.33 USD
Stock: 1 in Stock
Nebbiolo D'Alba, 1978
Bersano
Nebbiolo d'Alba renowned for is longevity, is considered the premiere varietal of northwestern Italy. It is used for the Famous Barolo wines and is believed to have been cultivated in the Langhe district before the fourteenth century.Nebbiolo-based wines, acid and astringent in youth, evolve with maturation into some of the most well-structured, longest living, and richly scented wines.
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Price: $87.91 USD
Stock: 2 in Stock
Nebbiolo D'Alba, 1978
Bric Paraiso - Carretta
Nebbiolo d'Alba renowned for is longevity, is considered the premiere varietal of northwestern Italy. It is used for the Famous Barolo wines and is believed to have been cultivated in the Langhe district before the fourteenth century.Nebbiolo-based wines, acid and astringent in youth, evolve with maturation into some of the most well-structured, longest living, and richly scented wines.
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Price: $100.65 USD
Stock: 2 in Stock
Niepoort Port, 1978
Vintage Port
"Niepoort is to Vintage Port what Krug is to Champagne. They are both small houses in a world dominated by large competitors but they are producing outstanding wines which very few can match." (James Suckling, Vintage Port).
Niepoort is a family company now in its fifth generation and presently managed by Dirk Niepoort. Despite being the second smallest shippers in the trade they are second to none in quality. Already famous for their classic tawny ports, they have now joined the ranks of the great producers of Vintage Port.
Vintage Port must be bottled within two years of the harvest date and be 100 per cent wine from that harvest. …
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Price: $317.25 USD
Stock: 1 in Stock
Quinta do Noval Port, 1978
Vintage Port
This Port is now beginning to reach its full maturity and is ready for drinking. As it ages further, it will begin to develop gently into a more tawny style Port. This Port should probably be drunk over the next few years although it is still showing remarkable balance and finesse. Fully mature and ready for drinking now
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Price: $177.10 USD
Stock: 16 in Stock
Recioto, 1978
F.lli Furia, Sweet Red Wine
"Recioto," as in "Recioto della Valpolicella," refers to a dessert wine made from grapes that were dried on mats after picking. This process turns the grapes closer to raisins, concentrating the flavors. The wines are lovely and taste how you'd expect raisins-turned-wine to taste, rich and sweet.
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Price: $126.13 USD
Stock: 1 in Stock
Refosco, 1978
del Peduculo, Ital. Cescon
Refosco is a very old Italian family of dark-skinned grape varieties native to the northern Italian and neighbouring areas of Friuli, Gavi, Trentino,Istria, and Karst Plateau.It is considered autochthonous in these regions. The wines this grape yields can be quite powerful and tannic, with a deep violet color and a slight bitterness. On the palate, there are strong currant, wild berry and plum flavors. The wine can stand some aging.
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Price: $100.65 USD
Stock: 1 in Stock
Sangiovese di Romagna, 1978
Soc. Coop. Corovin
Good-quality Sangiovese is prized for its high acid, firm tannins and balanced nature. Savory flavors of dark cherries and black stone fruit are characteristic, and may be backed by secondary notes of tomato leaf and dried herbs. The use of oak has become more popular and this coaxes richer flavors from the grapes, tending toward plum and wild raspberry.
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Price: $75.17 USD
Stock: 1 in Stock
Sassella, 1978
Nino Negri
Valtellina Superiore Sassella wines are made under the Valtellina Superiore DOCG, specifically from grapes grown in the village of Sassella. Sassella is one of five viticultural sub-zones specifically identified as producing Valtellina wines of particularly high quality: the other four are Grumello, Inferno, Maroggia and Valgella. Sassella is considered to be the finest of these, and the pinnacle of the Valtellina viticultural zone.
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Price: $87.91 USD
Stock: 1 in Stock