Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certain wines, it can denote quality, as in Port wine, where Port houses make and declare vintage Port in their best years. From this tradition, a common, though incorrect, usage applies the term to any wine that is perceived to be particularly old or of a particularly high quality.
Most countries allow a vintage wine to include a portion of wine that is not from the year denoted on the label. In Chile and South Africa, the requirement is 75% same-year content for vintage-dated wine.In Australia, New Zealand, and the member states of the European Union, the requirement is 85%. In the United States, the requirement is 85%, unless the wine is designated with an AVA, (e.g., Napa Valley), in which case it is 95%. Technically, the 85% rule in the United States applies equally to imports, but there are obvious difficulties in enforcing the regulation.
The opposite of a vintage wine is a nonvintage wine (often seen on a wine list as NV), which is usually a blend from the produce of two or more years. This is a common practice for winemakers seeking a consistent style of wine, year on year.
We can build anything you want! Contact us today.
Scott McFee, owner, welder, fabricator machinist and mechanic at Build and Tune has been in the custom engine building and component manufacture, repair business for over 40 years. Much of his extensive machining equipment has also been custom built to get the job done right, no matter what kind of components are being built.
You can see examples of his work, step-by-step, with photos and descriptions of the work done by following the links on your left.
Scott’s years of professional experience, his enthusiasm and pride in his work and the gallery of completed projects speak for themselves.