If you spot a single year on the label of your Champagne bottle (and I do not mean the year the winery was founded usually quoted by 'maison fondée en') then it is highly likely to be a vintage. The good news is that vintage Champagne is rarer and of superior quality to most other Champagne so will likely hold more value and taste much better also! Let's find out a little more about vintage Champagne:
Only during exceptional harvests of Champagne grapes will a year be declared a vintage. Though there is no golden rule set and it isn't a requirement that all must follow, wineries across the 34,200 hectares of vineyards will decide that certain years deserve to produce a vintage.
Vintage meaning: In Champagne terms, a vintage does not necessarily mean that a bottle is old, instead it means that only the grapes of the year stated were used in the making of the wine inside. Nearly all other Champagne produced will be classified as non-vintage (NV) so containing a blend of juices from varied harvests (reserve wines).
Most times, a majority of Champagne houses will agree that a vintage should be released though variation in micro climates, production styles, grape varieties, yield, finances and more can decide otherwise. It is not uncommon that sometimes a larger Champagne house will declare a vintage whereas the majority will not.
Famous vintage years, and ones to look out for both in value and in quality, include: 2008 / 1996 / 1990 / 1988 / 1985 / 1979 / 1973 and several more before.
Do you want to sell your vintage Champagne? Please give us a call for help and advice to what Champagne you have and we will also make you an offer: 01206 700888 / [email protected]
