Most wines have a vintage printed on the front or neck label. Vintage simply means the year in which the grapes were harvested and the wine-making process began. In many instances it will take much longer to actually finish and bottle the wine. Wines with no vintage are usually referred to as non-vintage, multi-vintage or NV.
In some traditional regions, Bordeaux and Burgundy in particular, the weather varies greatly from year to year, and therefore so too does the wine. Here the vintage is seen as all-important. Wine writers, buyers and commentators from all over the world attend tastings featuring multiple wines, all from the same region and year. There is often feverish excitement and huge speculation, with superior vintages increasing exponentially in price.
Then there are wines, including many well-known names, that usually don’t put a year on the label. This is because the wines have traditionally been made from blends comprising different vintages, some 10 or 20 years old. This includes the regions of Port, Champagne, Sherry, Madeira, and Marsala, where the majority of wines are non-vintage.
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There are sound reasons for this. Adding some older wines can add depth and complexity to a wine. Also, the producer wants to offer a wine that is consistent from year to year. Many consumers aren’t really interested in vintages and would prefer to have their favourite wine taste the same every time they open a bottle. Some companies use the term 10 or 20-year-old on the label. In this case the wine is made from a blend of vintages with an average age of 10 or 20 years.
Nowadays, we know a lot more about growing grapes and making wine. There are very few really bad vintages and far less variation from one year to the next. So vintage labelling is far less important than it was. You have to look very hard at some labels to find it. Quite often it is there but hidden in small print on the back label.
