2007-03-18 20:20:44 · 6 answers · asked by tuks 1 in Food & Drink ➔ Beer, Wine & Spirits
A vintage wine, as the others have pointed out, is a wine where the grapes used for making it come from a single year's harvest - and that year of harvest is put on the label. (A 'vintage' is both the act of harvesting the grapes and a term for the cycle of harvesting; in French they use 'vendage' for the harvest, but 'millesime' for the harvest cycle, making it slightly less confusing').
In many countries, to be labeled as a vintage wine, all of the grapes must be from that harvest. However, in some countries, a winery is allowed to add a small percentage of wine from a previous (or later) vintage to the blend; the US allows up to 5% from other years, and Australia up to 15%, for example.
The one major exception to a vintage wine being labeled with the year in which the grapes were harvested is Canadian Icewine, which is always labeled with the year the grapes were grown, even if they are not actually picked until after the new year.
As a general rule, vintage wines are of higher quality tha non-vintage wines. Indeed, in many jurisdictions (including Canada, France, Italy and many others), the rules governing most official 'quality' wines - those that can have the labels of VQA, AC, or DOC respectively) state that they must be vintage wines or they can only be officially classed as 'table wine'. This is not the case with all quality wines though (even in those countries); most notably, Champagne, Tawny Port, and Sherry are all traditionally labeled without vintage statements, and are all regarded as extremely high quality (and value) wines.
I hope that answers any questions you may have. If there's anything else you need about this topic, just message me or post an edit, and I'll try to answer your question.
2007-03-18 22:45:24 · answer #1 · answered by Guy Norman Cognito 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Vintage is the year the wine was bottled. That being said, all wines that come in a bottle and cork are vintage. What year you fancy is up to the drinker...
2007-03-22 04:06:25 · answer #2 · answered by santisway 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The American Heritage® Dictionary says:
vintage (n.) The yield of wine or grapes from a vineyard or district during one season.
vintage (n.) Wine, usually of high quality, identified as to year and vineyard or district of origin.
vintage (adj.) Of or relating to a vintage.
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2.The produce of the vine for one season, in grapes or in wine; as, the vintage is abundant; the vintage of 1840.
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3.The act or time of gathering the crop of grapes, or making the wine for a season.
Hope this helps.
2007-03-18 20:24:24 · answer #3 · answered by Matthew D 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's old wine, probably with a cork. I prefer the fresh stuff with a screw on cap. That ensures freshness.
2007-03-18 20:23:36 · answer #4 · answered by M00ND0CT0R 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Really really old wine
2007-03-18 20:23:45 · answer #5 · answered by Dennis 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
old/AGED wine. (It's supposed to get better as it ages)
2007-03-18 20:24:41 · answer #6 · answered by Butterfly Kisses ♥ 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
ooops you asked same ? twice....
2007-03-18 20:53:28 · answer #7 · answered by Sherrysfunstuff 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋