1981 Wine and Port Vintage
Vintage Summary and Recommendations:
Welcome to Vintage Wine and Port's 1981 wine page. Read on for our summary of the 1981 vintage, our top recommendations and region reports. Scroll down to see all of our wines currently available. If you cannot find what you are looking for please call us on 01425 837177 or Contact Us. We would love to help you with your wine choice!
The 1981 vintage ranged in quality, with many regions producing excellent wines, but few stood out as truly exceptional. In France, Bordeaux, Beaujolais, Loire, Alsace and the Rhône Valley all enjoyed good years but the vintage for Sauternes and Champagne was lackluster and poor for Burgundy. The rest of Europe was also a mixed bag, with Piedmont suffering a particularly bad year while Tuscany excelled. Spain, Germany and Austria all enjoyed good but not great years and both Port and Tokaj produced some nice wines. Any of these wines would make a fabulous 44 year old wine gift for an Anniversary or birthday.
Our Wine Expert currently recommends the following wines for this year:
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Bordeaux: 1981 was a very good vintage for Bordeaux wines that was overlooked in favour of the outstanding 1982 Vinatge. Although July was cool, the fruit ripened well through a warm and dry August and September. The harvest began under good conditions in the very last days of September but was hampered by rain in the first two weeks of October, leading to a dilution of the grape juice. Nevertheless, reliable chateaux still managed to fashion some stylish, classic wines, with medium body and good structure.
Italian: The good 1981 Italian vintage produced a large crop of consistent wines. The best examples from Tuscany and Piedmont are now at their peak of their maturity, and will offer a good drinking experience.
Portugal: No vintage port was made in 1981. Our recommendation would be for a 1981 Colheita port from 1981. Kopke are renowned for their colheita and this would make a wonderful gift for a Birthday or Anniversary this year.
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27 products found.
Montepulciano, 1981
d'Abbruzo, Dragani - Riserva -Double Magnum 3L
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: £195.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Nebbiolo D'Alba, 1981
Ferruccio Nicolello
Clearance Offer - Last Bottle | Was £79 | Now £54.90
The Nebbiolo has a lovely earthy bouquet. The nose has cherries, dark cherries, tar and slight dried rose notes. Complex and layered. Nice acidity. Medium tannins still present. Cherries on the palate too. Nice finish. Great food wine. Nebbiolo is a fickle grape famed as much for its pale appearance as for its tannic character and produces some of the most perfumed and richly flavored wines. Though generally only medium-bodied, the wines possess rose and anise scented aromatics and deep flavors of cherry, orange peel and subtle green herb tones.
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Price: £54.90
Stock: 1 in Stock