Comet vintages facts for kids
Comet vintages are special years when a bright comet appeared in the sky before the grape harvest. For a long time, people who made wine believed that these comets brought good luck and perfect weather for growing grapes. They thought the comets somehow made the wine taste amazing!
Some of the most famous "comet vintages" happened in years like 1811, 1858, and 1985. Even though scientists today know that comets don't actually affect grape growing, the idea of a "comet vintage" is still used. Sometimes, a really excellent wine is even called a "comet wine" because of this old belief. The 1811 vintage is probably the most famous one. For example, the 1811 Château d'Yquem wine is known for lasting a very long time and tasting wonderful. A famous wine expert, Robert Parker, even gave it a perfect score! The 1811 Veuve Clicquot Champagne is also special because it helped create the modern way of making Champagne.
What People Believed About Comets
For many centuries, people connected comets to all sorts of events on Earth. Sometimes they thought comets caused bad things, like earthquakes or sickness. But when it came to wine, people almost always believed that comets brought good things. They thought comets helped the grapes grow perfectly, leading to amazing wines. Even though there's no scientific proof that comets affect grapevines, this belief was very strong among winemakers for a long time.
The Famous 1811 Vintage
The 1811 "comet vintage" is the most well-known. The comet that year was called the Great Comet of 1811, or the Flaugergues comet. It was named after Honoré Flaugergues, who first saw it in March. This comet was visible for most of the growing season, which was great for grapes in many parts of the world, especially in France.
Before 1811, France had several bad years for wine. But the 1811 vintage changed everything! Regions like Bordeaux and Champagne had fantastic harvests. For Cognac (a type of brandy), 1811 was one of the best years ever. Even today, some Cognac bottles have stars on their labels to remember the amazing 1811 vintage. The 1811 Château d'Yquem wine, for example, got a perfect score from a wine critic more than 180 years after it was made! In Germany, the 1811 wines were so good that some were called "comet hock".
The 1811 Champagne from Veuve Clicquot is thought to be the first truly "modern" Champagne. This wine was one of the first to be clear and free of sediment. This was thanks to a new technique called remuage (or riddling) that Veuve Clicquot developed. Riddling helped remove the cloudy bits from the sparkling wine without losing the bubbles. This was a huge step for the Champagne industry!
Veuve Clicquot tried to keep their new technique a secret. But the amazing clarity of their Champagne got worldwide attention, and eventually, their secret got out. In 1812, after Napoleon invaded Russia, Tsar Alexander I of Russia banned French wines. But a sales agent for Veuve Clicquot managed to sneak a lot of the 1811 "Cuvée de la Comète" Champagne into Königsberg. Soon, everyone, even the Tsar himself, wanted to try this incredible wine!
Other Famous Comet Vintages
Many other years have been called "comet vintages" because of the great wines they produced.
- 1826 — Biela's Comet
- 1832 — Biela's Comet
- 1839 — Biela's Comet
- 1845 — Great June Comet of 1845
- 1846 — Biela's Comet
- 1852 — Biela's Comet
- 1858 — Comet Donati (This year was great for Bordeaux wines.)
- 1861 — Great Comet of 1861
- 1874 — Comet Coggia (This year was especially good for German wines from the Mosel and Rheingau regions.)
- 1985 — Halley's Comet
- 1989 — Comet Okazaki-Levy-Rudenko
