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1963 The biggest news from 1963 was the assassination of the US President Kennedy on November 22nd which thrust Lyndon Johnson into the role of president and the murder two days later of Lee Harvey Oswald by nightclub owner Jack Ruby. This was a difficult time to become president with the mounting troubles in Vietnam where the Viet Cong Guerrillas had now killed 80 American Advisers and the continued campaign for civil rights by the black community caused violent reactions from whites including Mississippi, Virginia and Alabama where the black civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr was arrested. Films included "The Birds" and "The Great Escape" and popular TV programmes "The Virginian" and "Lassie". ladies fashion clothes and hairstyles included fur boots and towering hair do's for evening wear. In music the beginning of Beatlemania after they release "I Want To Hold Your Hand/I Saw Her Standing There" and "Meet the Beatles".

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Burgundy

BURGUNDY / Light wines with pronounced acidity; the whites in particular have aged remarkably well. A warm spring allowed regular flowering which ended at the beginning of July, but a wet and cold summer diminished all hopes of a very good vintage. While the beginning of September was dry, the rest of the month was unsettled and foggy. The harvest of the reds had to be very selective because many grapes were affected by rot. Estates concerned about quality, carefully pruned and waiting for the arrival of good weather, produce good wines, the Grand and Premier Cru terroirs of Meursault, Corton-Charlemagne and Montrachet are the finest examples. The high acidity has kept these wines alive and they are currently showing their potential.

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Australia

A hot, dry year with average rainfall in the growing season and a wet January and April produced some very good red wines tending towards a lighter style.

In 1963 there were 7,174 hectares of vines in the Barossa and 22,203 tonnes of wine grapes were crushed in that vintage.

A year of very low production in South Africa with only 60% of the yield in 1962. In the Barossa, hail and strong winds in the Eden Valley-Springton region had a profound effect on fruit set.

Airbag presses were first introduced at Hardy’s Siegersdorf, offering an improvement in wine quality.

The first refrigeration was installed at Leo Buring – a 20-ton Werner ammonia compressor and a twin-tube Gasquet ultra-cooler. This replaced evaporative water sprays on the outside of steel shipping tanks as the only form of fermentation cooling.

Leo Buring won his first gold medals for Riesling at the Adelaide and Melbourne exhibitions.

Penfolds and the Australian Wine Research Institute have conducted malolactic fermentation trials in the fermentation and maturation of bulk red wine.

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Portugal

Declared by all the major Port houses, 1963 was a monumental vintage against which many others are now judged. Power, dimension and real character are all hallmarks of this most memorable vintage. And even after more than 45 years the best wines never fail to impress with their essential three components of fruit, tannin and elegance. 1963s almost always appear to be younger than they really are.

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Vintage Report

Bordeaux by Château Latour: Spring passed without problems and the foliage was vigorous at the end of May. June was hot and humid. The heat wave continued throughout July and August. However, August was slightly cooler and wetter. Veraison began on August 9. The grapes were huge and waterlogged. A dry September was essential. Unfortunately, it rained every day for the first two weeks and the rot spread quickly. The harvest took place from October 10 to 23, after the rains stopped. But there wasn't much left to choose from and the quality was seriously compromised.

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Vintage Report

Port Vintage Report: A classic vintage, intense and balanced, deep purple, fruity and with great aging capacity. “An apotheosis of Vintage”, as Chantal Lecouty said. Almost all producers declared their production. Great production. Normal winter and cold rainy spring, but with good weather during flowering. Hot and dry summer. He only watered just before the harvest. During the harvest (end of September), perfect weather, with very hot days and cool nights.

Declared by all the major port houses, 1963 was a monumental vintage by which many others are judged today. Power, dimension and real character are the characteristics of this most memorable vintage. And even after more than 45 years, the best wines never fail to impress with their three essential components: fruit, tannin and elegance. The 1963s almost always seem younger than they really are.

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The best wines of the 1963 vintage

Name Tb Producer Location
1 Nacional Vintage Port 100 Quinta do Noval Douro, Portugal
2 Single Harvest Tawny Port 99 Graham's Douro, Portugal
3 Vintage Port 98 Graham's Douro, Portugal
4 Marcobrunn Riesling 98 Kloster Eberbach Rheingau, Germany
5 Fonseca Vintage Port 97 Fonseca Douro, Portugal
6 Vintage Port 97 Niepoort Douro, Portugal
7 Hill of Grace 97 Henschke Eden Valley, Australia
8 Vintage Port 96 Taylor's Douro, Portugal
9 Vintage Port 96 Fonseca Douro, Portugal
10 Vintage Port 96 Sandeman Douro, Portugal
11 Kopke Colheita 96 Kopke Douro, Portugal
12 Vintage Port 95 Quinta do Noval Douro, Portugal
13 Vintage Port 94 Dow's Douro, Portugal
14 Grange Hermitage 94 Penfolds South Australia, Australia
15 Vintage 94 Ferreira Portugal, Portugal
16 Marqués de Riscal Gran Reserva 94 Marqués de Riscal Rioja, Spain
17 Bin 62 94 Penfolds South Australia, Australia
18 Assmannshäuser Höllenberg Frühburgunder Natur 94 Kloster Eberbach Rheingau, Germany
19 Vintage Port 94 Burmeister Porto, Portugal
20 Port Vintage 93 Cockburn's Douro, Portugal
21 Sercial Madeira 93 Leacock's Madeira, Portugal
22 Vintage Port 92 Ramos Pinto Douro, Portugal
23 Boa Vista Vintage Port 92 Offley Douro, Portugal
24 Vintage Port 91 Croft Douro, Portugal
25 Vintage Port 91 Warre's Douro, Portugal
26 Vintage Port 91 Kopke Douro, Portugal
27 Tokaji Aszu Eszencia 91 Disznókö Tokaj-Hegyalja, Hungary
28 Vintage Port 91 A.A. Cálem Douro, Portugal
29 Niepoort Colheita 90 Niepoort Douro, Portugal
30 d'Yquem 90 Château d'Yquem Bordeaux, France
31 Pétrus 90 Château Pétrus Pomerol, France
32 Marques de Riscal Reserva 89 Marqués de Riscal Rioja, Spain
33 Vintage Port 89 Delaforce Douro, Portugal
34 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 88 Charles Krug Winery Napa Valley, United States
35 Château Canon 87 Château Canon Bordeaux, France
36 Escencia 86 Tokaji Tokay, Hungary
37 Château Cos d'Estournel 84 Château Cos d'Estournel Bordeaux, France
38 La Romanée 84 Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Burgundy, France
39 Château Latour 83 Château Latour Bordeaux, France
40 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 83 Domaine de Chevalier Pessac Leognan, France
41 Château Haut-Brion 83 Château Haut-Brion Bordeaux, France
42 Château Suduiraut 82 Château Suduiraut Bordeaux, France
43 Château Mouton-Rothschild 82 Château Mouton-Rothschild Bordeaux, France
44 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 82 Weingut J. J. Prüm Mosel, Germany
45 Château Smith Haut Lafitte 81 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Bordeaux, France
46 Lafite-Rothschild 79 Château Lafite-Rothschild Bordeaux, France
47 Montrose 79 Château Montrose Bordeaux, France
48 Château Palmer 77 Château Palmer Bordeaux, France
49 Château Lafitte 74 Château Lafitte Bordeaux, France
50 Vintage Port 0 Smith Woodhouse Douro, Portugal
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