When to drink an Alsace Vendanges Tardives?
Alsace · indicative values: the producer, the vintage and storage conditions come first.
Alsace Vendanges Tardives
Sweet and fortified: the drinking window
Recommended ageing: 5 to 30 years after the vintage.
For example, a 2020 Alsace Vendanges Tardives drinks best between 2025 and 2053, with a peak plateau around 2035-2047.
Vintage by vintage
A great year outlives an average one: the window moves with the vintage. The most recent rated vintages (Alsace), applied to the ageing for Alsace Vendanges Tardives given above.
| Vintage | Rating | Drink |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Good | 2030–2055 |
| 2024 | Good | 2029–2054 |
| 2023 | Great | 2028–2056 |
| 2022 | Great | 2027–2055 |
| 2021 | Good | 2026–2051 |
| 2020 | Great | 2025–2053 |
| 2019 | Great | 2024–2052 |
| 2018 | Great | 2023–2051 |
| 2017 | Great | 2022–2050 |
| 2016 | Great | 2021–2049 |
| 2015 | Outstanding | 2020–2051 |
| 2013 | Good | 2018–2043 |
The full history, back to the older vintages: Alsace.
How to read this window
Before the window opens, the wine is in its youth: fruit dominates, tannins or acidity can feel stern. During the peak plateau, everything falls into balance: this is the moment ageing prepares. Beyond it, the wine slowly declines: nothing unsafe, but the emotion fades. These are general benchmarks for the appellation, not a verdict on your bottle.
Curious where these numbers come from? The method is published in full: from the estate down to the grape, then adjusted for the vintage and the bottle format.
From the same region
Other appellations in Alsace, each with its own window:
- Alsace Sélection de Grains Nobles
- Alsace Chasselas
- Alsace Edelzwicker
- Alsace
- Alsace Riesling
- Alsace Gewurztraminer
- Alsace Pinot Gris
- Alsace Pinot Blanc
What about your bottles?
Caviste computes this window for every bottle in your cellar: photograph the label, the sheet fills itself in (estate, vintage, appellation) and the app tells you when a bottle reaches its peak. Discover Caviste.