The vintage

1994

The decade's finest Port

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The 1994 vintage, rated

The decade's finest Port

In 2026 a bottle from 1994 marks a 32nd birthday or anniversary

The vintage

Good · 3/5

In Bordeaux, another fine August wrecked by harvest rain - better than 1991 to 1993, but no more than adequate, and most of it is past its best. Piedmont fared badly too. Portugal made the wine of the decade: 1994 was declared by every major house, and the Taylor's and Fonseca are among the greatest Ports made since the war. Rioja had an excellent year and California a very good one.

What we would buy, and why

Buy Port. This is the one year in the nineties where the finest possible bottle is also among the easiest to find in good condition, and a Taylor's or Fonseca 1994 will keep gaining for another two decades. Rioja is the value route - La Rioja Alta's 904 from 1994 drinks like something twice the price. Skip the claret however persuasive the pitch.

1994 in the world

The Channel Tunnel opened on 6 May, and four days later Nelson Mandela was sworn in as South Africa's first democratically elected president.

Best bets for 1994

  • Taylor's 1994 Vintage Port - the benchmark bottle of the decade, 280-400 euro
  • Fonseca 1994 Vintage Port - 250-380 euro
  • La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904, 1994 - mature and elegant, around 150-200 euro
  • Warre's 1994 Vintage Port - the same great year for less, 130-180 euro

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

The people who answer are the same people who check and pack the bottles. Ask for photographs, a condition report or advice on a year and you get a straight answer from the ANNO team, Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 CET.