1974

What we would buy, and why

Ignore Bordeaux entirely and buy Italian. A 1974 Barolo from a traditional house is a real wine with life left in it, usually €180–450, and Nebbiolo of this age holds its grip better than most people expect. Anything from the 1970s is sold as a collectible item rather than with a promise that it will taste perfect, but with a good Barolo the odds are genuinely in your favour.

1974 in the world

In November 1974 a team digging in the Afar region of Ethiopia found a 3.2-million-year-old skeleton and named her Lucy, after the Beatles song playing on the tape recorder back at camp.

Best bets for 1974

• Barolo 1974 from Borgogno, Prunotto or Marchesi di Barolo — €180–350 and typically sound
• Giacomo Conterno Monfortino 1974 for a landmark gift — around €900–1,500
• Heitz Martha's Vineyard or Ridge Monte Bello 1974 for a Californian birthday — €300–600
• A 1974 Armagnac if you would rather have certainty than a conversation about odds

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