vintage
VIN-tij
/ˈvɪn.tɪdʒ/
The specific year or season in which grapes were harvested to make wine; or high quality wine made from grapes harvested in a single designated year.
In wine context, specifies harvest year; in general context, implies high quality from a classic past era.
The story behind the word. Entered Anglo-French as 'vendange' from Latin 'vindemia' (grape-gathering), a compound of 'vinum' (wine) and 'demere' (to remove). Over centuries, English speakers modified the spelling into 'vintage'.
Word relationships
- harvest year: 'Harvest year' is factual and plain; 'vintage' carries prestige and stylistic meaning.
- non-vintage: Non-vintage wines are blended from grapes harvested across multiple years.
Commonly confused with
- vignette: A vignette is a brief scene or description; a vintage is a harvest year or classic item.
Word family
- vintner (noun): A wine producer or merchant.
Collocations
- vintage year
- exceptional vintage
- non-vintage
- vintage champagne
Example sentences
- "The 2015 vintage yielded extraordinarily concentrated fruit due to ideal summer rainfall." Wine Tasting
Memory hook
Vin (wine) + stage (time period) = the harvest year of the wine. The mark of the harvest year.
When not to use
Avoid confusing with 'antique', which applies to non-beverage physical items over a century old.
Fun facts
- In Champagne, 'non-vintage' bottles are the house standard, blended every year to maintain consistency.
Explore more words
vineyard, bouquet, viticulture, aftertaste, seasonal, antiquity
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