Dispelling the Vintage Wine Myth

Many people who are not experienced with wine share a common misconception about Vintage Wine. They believe the notion that because a wine has been labeled as a vintage wine, that it is better quality and taste. A Vintage wine is a wine that has been produced using grapes grown and harvested in one particular year.

The confusion may have originated from producers of Port, which is made using grapes from only a single year, which is later analyzed to see which years were particularly good. These ‘good batches’ are then labeled as ‘Vintage Ports’ by each winery, indicating a particularly good batch.

Vintage wines share some similarities, however it does translate directly across. While they do use grapes from one year only, labeling it as a vintage does not guarantee that it is a good wine, it is more used to simple display what year the grapes were used. Usually the wines are released for sale and the wine community discusses and works out which of the wines are exceptionally good.

To add to this, Vintage wines do not actually have to be 100% made from grapes from that year. In areas such as Chilie and South Africa, Vintage wines can consist of 75% grapes from that year and up. In other countries such as Australia, New Zealand, America and the EU, they are required to be 85% and up.
The other types of wine, which are just called ‘non-vintage’ wines, can be made from grapes form harvests over two or more years. This is done by wine makers who are seeking to create and retain a consistent style of wine from year to year.

There is still heated debate in the wine community as to whether vintage is still a relevant and accurate gauge of quality, with one side arguing that good seasons produce riper and better tasting grapes, while the other side that modern farming methods and controlled irrigation have now rendered vintage stamping obsolete.

Follow the link for more information on vintage wine cellars.

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