1917

Though bars were still hopping in the United States in 1917 before our nation entered the throes of World War I, across the pond in Europe things were quite different. The continent was in upheaval as the war raged on, and in some of the world’s most recognizable wine regions, things weren’t much better. What were wines like 100 years ago?

In regions close to war like Champagne, their 1917 vintage was only rated at 65 points according to th...

The 1917 Bordeaux vintage was deeply impacted by the severe labor shortages of World War I, leaving the arduous work of harvesting entirely to women, children, and the elderly. Combined with destructive summer hailstorms that drastically reduced yields, the challenging growing season led to an early harvest starting on September 22. The resulting red wines were historically described as light-bodied, highly aromatic, and pleasant in their youth, but they completely lacked the structure, tannins, and depth required for long-term aging. While the sweet white wines of Sauternes fared slightly better, the vintage as a whole is remembered as average to mediocre. Today, over a century later, any surviving bottles of 1917 Bordeaux are long past their prime, entirely faded and oxidized, holding value strictly as fascinating historical artifacts or rare wartime collectibles rather than for actual drinking enjoyment.

The 1917 Burgundy vintage closely mirrored Bordeaux, shaped heavily by the brutal realities of World War I. With most able-bodied men deployed to the front lines, the vineyards were tended and harvested entirely by women, children, and the elderly. Despite these immense labor shortages, nature was relatively kind, delivering a warm and sunny summer that allowed the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes to achieve good sugar levels and healthy maturity.

The harvest yielded a generous crop of surprisingly attractive, supple, and fruity wines that brought much-needed comfort during a bleak wartime period. However, because meticulous sorting and intensive cellar work were nearly impossible under wartime constraints, the wines lacked the precise structure and deep complexity found in great vintages. While highly enjoyable in their youth, 1917 Burgundies lacked the longevity of the exceptional 1915s and 1919s. Today, these centenary bottles are completely oxidized and faded, existing purely as rare, poignant historical artifacts.

The 1917 Champagne vintage is deeply poignant, as the region was a literal battlefield during World War I, with vineyards heavily shelled and cellars used as bomb shelters. Despite the relentless bombardment, women, children, and elderly workers heroically harvested the grapes, often wearing gas masks and working under the cover of night. The summer weather had been favorable, resulting in a small but remarkably high-quality crop of grapes with excellent acidity and concentration.[1, 2, 3]

The resulting 1917 Champagnes were outstanding—vibrant, powerful, and intensely flavored—proving to be one of the finest wartime vintages ever produced. Though nearly all bottles are completely flat and oxidized today.

The 1917 Napa Valley vintage took place during a pivotal and challenging era for California winemaking, marked by the geopolitical strain of the United States entering World War I and the looming threat of national Prohibition. The growing season itself was highly volatile, defined by an intense, scorching summer heatwave that baked the vineyards and severely reduced the overall crop yields. Despite the low volume, the heat allowed the surviving grapes to achieve high sugar levels and deep concentration, resulting in rich, robust, and alcoholic red wines, particularly from robust varieties like Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Sirah.

During this period, legendary historic estates such as Beaulieu Vineyard (BV), Inglenook, and Larkmead were driving Napa's premium wine production, crafting sturdy reds that were well-regarded by contemporary critics. However, because the technology and temperature control of the era were rudimentary, many of these heat-struck wines suffered from volatile acidity and lacked the balance found in cooler years. Today, over a century later, any surviving bottles of 1917 Napa Valley wine are exceedingly rare historical relics that are completely dried out and past their prime, standing as a testament to Napa’s resilience just three years before the devastating onset of Prohibition in 1920.

The 1917 Australian wine vintage was heavily shaped by its British colonial ties and the impact of World War I. During this era, Australia was not yet producing the dry, estate-driven table wines it is known for today; instead, over 70% of the harvest was dedicated to producing fortified wines, highly prized in the UK market for their durability during long sea voyages. The year was marked by massive labor shortages as a large percentage of the agricultural workforce was fighting on the Western Front and in the Middle East.

Despite these domestic hardships, the vintage is famous for a single, legendary estate: Seppeltsfield in the Barossa Valley. Under the visionary guidance of Oscar Benno Pedro Seppelt, the estate maintained its strict tradition of setting aside a single barrel of its finest fortified wine every single year to mature for an entire century before commercial release. The 1917 Seppeltsfield Para Vintage Tawny was finally released in 2017. Thanks to the meticulous wood-aging process in the hot, dry South Australian climate, this specific 1917 vintage morphed into a thick, concentrated, and world-class dessert wine. It stands as one of the extremely rare 1917 liquid time capsules from the Southern Hemisphere that remains not only drinkable but profoundly spectacular today.

The 1917 Italian wine vintage unfolded during a dark and harrowing chapter of national history, dominated entirely by the devastating realities of World War I. Culturally, the year is deeply tied to the Battle of Caporetto in late autumn, which saw the Austro-German forces break through the Italian front lines, causing massive military and civilian retreats across northeastern Italy.

In the vineyards, the human toll was massive: with almost the entire able-bodied male population conscripted to the front lines, viticulture was left almost exclusively to women, children, and the elderly. The year was also a deeply bittersweet milestone for Tuscany’s most legendary wine family: 1917 marked the passing of Ferruccio Biondi Santi, the founding pioneer who single-handedly invented Brunello di Montalcino. His son, Tancredi, took over the reins of the historic Il Greppo estate amidst the height of the wartime chaos. 

Remarkably, against all odds, the weather across Italy's top wine regions was incredibly favorable.

• Piedmont (Barolo): While neighboring France struggled with rain and hail, Piedmont enjoyed excellent weather. Historical regional archives officially classify the 1917 Barolo harvest as a "very good vintage," yielding structurally strong, complete red wines characterized by intense, highly refined aromatics. 
• Tuscany (Brunello/Chianti): The warm, consistent summer weather allowed the finicky Sangiovese grape to ripen beautifully, giving the wines an unexpected balance of alcohol, mature tannins, and acidity.

Current Status: Today, a century later, nearly all 1917 Italian table wines—even the most robust Barolos—have long passed their prime, having completely oxidized and flattened out into historical curiosities. However, as rare wartime liquid artifacts or family keepsakes, they remain incredibly prized by collectors for their historical weight rather than their drinkability.

One backs women, children and old men, in the vintage year 1917 at the harvest in Bordeaux. At that time, all the men almost were in the war. With an early harvest beginning simple wines could be brought in. The durability was not of great duration and the wines can be considered risky today.

Port Vintage: Declared by many producers, despite the wartime situation. Michael Broadbent characterises this Vintage as “light, supple, elegant and attractive.”

The 8th of March, the earl Ferdinand von Zeppelin, inventor and maker of the flying machine which has its name, died at the age of 78. In the early morning of the 15th of October, the famous dancer, Mata Hari, is shot in the Vincennes wood. The 7th of November (25th of October for the Russian calendar), the soviet revolution took place. The red Guardians headed by LОon Trotsky entered in Petrograd and took the Winter Palace, residence of the tsar and refuge of the government.