Wine vintage rating 1963

What was the vintage 1963 like?

1963 The vintage demanded all the skills of the winemakers. Some of the top wineries in Bordeaux, previously spoiled by success, completely dispensed with bottling a 1963: such as Château Cheval Blanc and Palmer - the wines were marketed under less valuable names. So with a 1963 Château Desmirail you would own a Palmer.

Nevertheless: there are always some wine regions and wineries that defy the adverse conditions: Amarone from Valpolicella is even available as a Riserva in 1963, Côtes du Rhône is often good. We've had Margaux, Mouton, Lafite, Haut Brion with perfect bottles in our cellar before - such wines are so rare that collectors strike them immediately.

Weather in the year 1963

The year began with a very long winter with heavy frosts and a lot of snow. The cold just wouldn't go away. Even during flowering it stayed too cold. The winter of 1963 was the longest of the 20th century.

The summer months were rather autumnal - June temperatures around 15°C. Cool and damp weather in August and September later threatened the already small harvest. Only in October did the sun come out again for a short time.

The current stock of wines from the 1963 vintage

All wines from the 1963 vintage are in our own wine cellar and can be shipped immediately or picked up at the wine shop. To the wines of 1963

Good filling levels, good wine quality

The fill level of an old vintage wine reveals important information on the drinkability of the wine.
Of course, the good condition of a wine from an old vintage depends on excellent storage. Above all, the wine must not have frequently changed cellars. Ideally, the wine will have rested in one and the same wine cellar.

But also the cork that sits in each individual bottle is very important. A perfect cork has few pores and keeps the wine stable. If an inferior cork happens to have been used in a bottle, the porous surface will begin to soak up wine and allow micro-quantities of the liquid to evaporate over the decades. Poor fill levels are the result.

A poor fill level therefore also indicates a high risk that the wine bottle could soon begin to leak.

The fill levels explained:
In the bottle neck (high fill to base neck) about 2 cm is perfect for wines.
Top and upper shoulder, ([very] top shoulder), approx. 3 cm is very good for very old wines.
Medium shoulder (mid shoulder), about 4 cm is only acceptable for rare top wines and in individual cases.
Everything below the red line should not be offered any more.

Wine rating

Do you have a 1963 vintage in your wine cellar and would you like to know how much it is worth?

Here are a few tips: in order to still have any value, the bottle must be leakproof. The wine must not be cloudy. It should be of good quality (not supermarket wine).

Search for the wine online without specifying the vintage. If it is a well-known winery, you will find the wine immediately and also the price you have to pay for the current vintage. If the current wine costs from EUR 20.00 upwards, that's a good sign.

The filling level is decisive for the value. Upper shoulder to base neck is required. Medium shoulder is only acceptable for extremely rare, already valuable wines.

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