Since I've never tasted any vintage, I'm wondering what the differences are.

Are they because of the availability of certain ingredients?

Is it legal issues relating to amounts of ingredients or the process?

Or is it the recipes themselves that are lost, like the secrets of the Stradivarius?



For anyone who has tasted both, is the distinction in the subtleties, or is it of the same magnitude as going from Czeckerland or Spanish to HG?

The secret to the Stradivarius lies in the fact that they were produced during the mini-ice age of the late middle ages. Because the weather was colder and drier, the trees didn't grow as fast (narrower tree rings). This, people now speculate, made for much DENSER wood, giving the origianl Strad's a much richer, fuller, and warmer tone.

In a nutshell, the wood they were using back then was of a far better quality through purely natural circumstances.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/afp/20031208/violin.html

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/science/12/08...rius.secret.ap/

and

http://www.brianarner.com/weblog/archives/000276.html

neat stuff.

Agreed, the wormwood was better and Stradivarius used both Melissa and Lemon Balm.

And I got told I was a brown-noser when I said I got my news in the Lounge.

Vintage is older.

you learn a lot owrking at a refence publisher. You just get screwed at the end of the year on your $$$.

I know I learned a lot from owrking at the office. I got a written notice and fined $200.

DG

Damn! good catch.