Chat with Vinny
What is a wine vintage … and does it even matter? Our handy guide tells you everything you need to know – from the rules behind to it, to when it matters and when it doesn’t.
Wine lovers talk a lot about vintages. You’ll hear whispers of the legendary ‘82 Bordeaux’ or ‘a cracking 2010 Barolo’.
But, what does a wine’s vintage actually mean? And … does it even matter?
If you’ve ever felt a bit lost in these conversations, don’t worry – you’re not alone. We know vintage can be a mysterious thing – but, at its heart, it’s just part of what makes wine so fascinating. And our handy guide tells you everything you need to know.
What is a wine vintage?
A wine’s vintage is the year in which the grapes are harvested.
In the northern hemisphere, the whole growing season lies within the vintage year – April to October. Wines from the southern hemisphere, however, start their season in one year, around October, and are harvested in the next, sometime between January and May, depending on the country. The year of the harvest is the one you will find on the label.
Next rule – if a year appears on a label, a minimum of 85% of the wine must be from that vintage. A winemaker can choose to add up to 15% of another year/years to refresh an old wine – or give some age and complexity to a young one. However, most wines, apart from Champagne and some fortified wines, are from only one vintage.
When and why does a wine vintage matter?
The quality of a wine will depend partly on the skill of the winemaker, but also on the weather during the growing season.
For instance, wind, rain or a mix of the two while the vines are trying to flower has an adverse effect. It means fewer flowers, which translates into fewer buds on the vines, fewer grapes and lower yields at harvest time. Bad for the grower’s bank balance, but actually fewer grapes often mean more flavour in the remaining ones.
Rain and warmth combined are a definite disadvantage in the vineyard. These conditions encourage diseases like mildew and rot. Vignerons will be on high alert to spot any signs of disease and will act immediately to prevent the spread of it.
However, rain at the right time keeps the vines watered and nourished, while lots of heat and sunshine during the summer and into autumn will produce lovely ripe fruit flavours in the grapes and in the taste of the wine in your glass and will lower acidity.
To test that theory, take the same wine from two vintages – say a deliciously ripe 2022 Bordeaux red and one from a more classic year like 2021. In 2021, temperatures were significantly cooler during the summer, so you’ll find less big bold fruit in clarets from this year and more freshness. Why not try those two vintages from Château La Clarière in Castillon:
Of course, one has a year’s more age, but the 2022 is bigger, riper and bolder thanks to the weather conditions that year.
How winemakers adapt
So, you can see the weather pattern for a region and a vineyard does make a difference to the flavour in your glass. Dedicated and talented growers and winemakers can take action to counteract weather conditions. These might include:
reducing the number of grape bunches to give more concentration to the ones left behind
cutting back the vine foliage to expose grapes to more sunshine
picking earlier for freshness, or picking later for more ripeness
For most wines that are for everyday drinking, however, winemakers use their skills to produce a consistent style. If you’re choosing wines for investment or for cellaring a few years in the hope they will improve, you’ll be more concerned about the vintage and whether the wine has the qualities to age.
Breaking the vintage rule
Nearly all still wines are vintage, but there are a few top-end wines that are vintage blends – namely Penfold’s Grange G3, Vega Sicilia Unico and Opus One Overture that go for around £1,800, £400 and £200 a bottle respectively.
Champagne and most fortified wines come from a blend of vintages and are called non-vintage or NV. The aim is to produce a house style that is very similar every release. They take the majority of the grapes from one vintage, then blend in reserve wine, which will itself be a blend of older vintages, to lend layers of complexity and maturity.
Vintage Champagne, Vintage Port and the very occasional Vintage Madeira will be from the vintage specified on the label.
When is vintage important?
If you enjoy wines from regions with unpredictable weather – maybe rain at harvest time or unreliable summers – then you might want to brush up on vintage quality. But, sadly for growers, all regions nowadays suffer from unpredictable weather patterns. Steps can be taken to mitigate some aspects of the weather, but something like a sudden hail storm can’t be planned for and a whole’s year’s work can be wiped out in a matter of minutes.
No two vintages are alike
The great joy of wine is its individuality. When a region is said to have a difficult year, you will always find variation – appellations can be wide and sprawling for starters. Take the Languedoc in 2024 – some areas had torrential rain, some drought and some ideal amounts of rain and sunshine.
Also take into account the skill of the team making the wine. Indeed, some winemakers prefer to work with a more challenging vintage and think they make better wine.
About the author
Nikki Jacoby
Nikki has spent all her career in wine, selling it first by the spoken word, then as a writer in the publishing world, before returning to work within the Laithwaites’ copy team for most of the last 30 years. Many years ago, she passed both halves of the diploma, but the greatest education in wine has been a full immersion in it, visiting the places and talking to its many passionate producers. As a topic, it will never cease to fascinate.
