Definition: Vertical tasting

Tasting several vintages of the same wine or estate to identify the characteristics of each vintage. Vertical tastings are particularly popular with collectors, who sometimes manage to go back very far in time.

The most classic vertical collection is, of course, that of Château Mouton Rothschild, which since 1945, vintage after vintage, has constituted the most prestigious collection of contemporary artworks. It combines a passion for wine with an interest in art, as the bottles of each vintage are decorated by a different artist.