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Wine Terms: VintageVintage refers to the year in which the grapes for a wine are produced. At many wineries the grapes will only be from the harvest year listed on the bottle. In order for an American bottle to be considered a vintage wine, it must contain at least 85% of its grapes from the year of its harvest. For an Argentinian or South African bottle, it must contain at least 75% of the grapes for that year. The reason for the blending with grapes of another year is to improve the quality or consistency of a wine. Sometimes, a wine will become known for the year. This results in some winemakers not listing a year for their wine unless the harvest produces excellent wine. Examples would be a 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, or a 2008 Chardonnay. Please note, these are not necessarily great years, just examples of how this type of wine would be named. Return from Wine Terms: Vintage to Wine For Beginners Homepage
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