It seems many folks use the vintage label strictly based on age, not quality or any other enduring qualities.Which is arguably correct, as TPReaves and Rrog have indicated. "Vintage" can indicate superiority in the making of certain wines, such as Champagne, but outside of that particular context it arguably relates just to age and not to quality. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vintage Regards, -- Al |
Also, there is ambiguity in the term "vintage" even in the field of wine. For many kinds of fine wines, such as French Bordeaux, every year is considered to be a vintage, with some years considered to be great vintages, other years considered to be poor vintages, etc. While with wines such as Port and Champagne only excellent years are declared to be "vintage years," and bottles so labelled will consist of wines that are just from the year indicated. Champagne that is bottled in non-vintage years, on the other hand, is usually a blend of wines from several different years. Regards, -- Al |
