The wine list can be a daunting thing, in no small part because of the litany of years that appear next to all the wineries, regions, and grape varieties printed in languages you probably don’t speak. Should you opt for a 2016 cabernet over a 2015? What about this 2008 Chateauneuf-du-Pape on deep discount?

Go ahead and Google it and offend everyone at the table with your bright phone, or cut out a copy of the Drinkhacker Wine Cheat Sheet and stow it in your wallet or purse for just such an occasion. Just print, cut it out, fold it into thirds, and you’re good for another year until we update the cheat sheet again.

As always, here’s how to use the cheat sheet: Only the last two digits of a year are included to save space, and the list only rarely reaches back into the pre-WWII era, so anything you see starting with a zero or one is from the 2000s.

All years listed here are considered good to great vintages, but those in green with underlining are the cream of the crop, “classic” years that you should consider the very best on the market. (Why green and underlined? So you can tell the difference whether you use a color or black & white printer.)

Check back next October for the next revision of the cheat sheet!

Cheers!

Download the Drinkhacker wine cheat sheet here:

drinkhacker vintage chart 2019 [pdf]

About Post Author