1982 Vina Real Gran Reserva

1982 was one of the most renowned modern-day vintages of Rioja, officially classified as "Excelente," something unusual back then (now it's quite common and official qualifications have kind of lost it) that had not happened since 1964. Musically speaking, Madonna made her debut and Michael Jackson released “Thriller,” the world's bestselling album ever; Joan Jett proclaimed “I Love Rock and Roll” and the charts saw titles such as “Eye of the Tiger,” “Ebony & Ivory,” “Come on Eileen” (by the English band Dexy's Midnight Runners) or “Down Under” and “Who Can It Be Now?” by the Aussie's Men at Work. Well, Olivia Newton-John's “Physical” also made the charts, but we prefer to forget it. To see how technology has developed, the Commodore 64 8-bit home computer was launched by Commodore International and it became the all-time bestselling personal computer. It was a sad year for Hollywood, as Henry Fonda, Ingrid Bergman and Grace Kelly died. The Best Picture Oscar went to “Chariots of Fire.” Unfortunately the 1982 Viña Real Gran Reserva was badly corked and therefore undeniable and impossible to assess, ruining the anticipated comparison with 1981. Now it is commonly accepted that while 1982 was the famous vintage, 1981 was much better. Unfortunately, we could not assess it through this Viña Real tasting.