THE FORCES
VINTAGE
The Force
What is a Vintage?
A vintage is the year in which the grapes for a wine were grown and harvested. You will often see this year printed on the bottle, such as 2025 or 2026.
A vintage is much more than a date. It tells the story of that growing season.
Its parts
What a vintage is made of
A vintage is every other Force, gathered into a single year and never assembled the same way twice.
Heat and sunshine
How much warmth the season delivered, and whether it arrived when the vine needed it.
Water
The rain that fell, the rain that held off, and the timing of both.
The swings
Wind, cool nights and shifting temperatures across the months of ripening.
The unexpected
Frost, hail, heatwaves. The events no one plans for, which decide some years entirely.
Its consequence
Why does it matter?
No two years are ever exactly the same. One year may be warm and dry, while the next is cool and wet. Rainfall, sunshine, wind, temperature and even unexpected events like frost or heatwaves all influence how the grapes develop.
Because nature changes every year, every vintage is unique.
The range
What does it do to the wine?
The vintage influences the style, balance and character of the finished wine.
Cool vintages
Fresher wines with higher acidity and elegant fruit flavours.
Warm vintages
Richer wines with riper fruit and fuller body.
Challenging vintages
Smaller crops, but sometimes wines with remarkable concentration and personality.
Exceptional vintages
When the growing conditions come together in harmony, allowing the grapes to reach outstanding quality.
Even wines from the same vineyard and the same winemaker can taste different from one vintage to the next.
A Force not a Choice
In the world of Aurenloch
Vintage is one of the Forces. It is nature's signature on a particular year. No one can repeat it, recreate it or control it.
Every vintage captures a single moment in time, making every bottle a record of that year's journey.
Did you know?
Unlike many foods and drinks that aim to taste exactly the same every year, fine wine celebrates its differences. Each vintage is a new chapter, allowing the same vineyard to tell a slightly different story with every harvest.