The vintage

1968

Earthrise on Christmas Eve

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The 1968 vintage, rated

Earthrise on Christmas Eve

In 2026 a bottle from 1968 marks a 58th birthday or anniversary

The vintage

Modest · 2/5

A poor year, plainly put. September rain rotted the crop in Bordeaux and Burgundy, nothing was declared in Champagne or the Douro, and Sauternes made no serious wine. Spain was the exception: Rioja had a very good year, and Vega Sicilia's Único 1968 is one of the great Spanish wines of the century.

What we would buy, and why

Spain rescues 1968 almost single-handedly. Vega Sicilia Único 1968 is the outstanding bottle of the year at roughly €600-1,000 and genuinely earns it; a 1968 Rioja Gran Reserva from one of the old houses does much the same job for €200-300. If nothing Spanish appeals, take an Armagnac and be glad - but do not accept a French red from this vintage at any price.

1968 in the world

On Christmas Eve, Apollo 8 came round the far side of the Moon and Bill Anders photographed the Earth rising over the lunar horizon - the first time anyone had seen it that way. 2001: A Space Odyssey had opened in April, and Hey Jude was the song of the autumn.

Best bets for 1968

  • Vega Sicilia Único 1968 - a great wine on its own terms, not merely a good one for the year
  • Rioja Gran Reserva 1968 from La Rioja Alta, CVNE or López de Heredia
  • Bas-Armagnac 1968 from Darroze or Laberdolive
  • Madeira colheita 1968 from Barbeito or D'Oliveiras - sweet, high in acid, practically immortal

How we grade a bottle

Fill level, label, capsule and cork, then provenance. Every bottle is checked by hand by people who have handled thousands of old bottles, and we write down the flaws as well as the good news. What the fill levels mean · How to choose a birth-year wine

Real people, not a chatbot

Ask a person about this year

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