Confused on Vintage

[s0615353]

Hello All,
Is the year put on the bottle the year that the grapes were harvested or the year it was bottled? For example if I bought grapes this September and bulk aged through the New Year would it be a 2012 wine or a 2013 wine? There seems to be mixed answers on the web from what I have seen so far.

Thanks for any clarification

 

[Duster]

IMHO
2012 Vintage
Bottled ??/13

 

[FTC Wines]

I agree with Duster, though others do it differently. Roy

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

Vintage = year growen

 

[tonyandkory]

ok so if you didn't grow the "wine materials"? like say skittle wine or something... what would it be then lol

 

[JohnT]

Agree also. Vintage is used to identify the year that the grapes were grown. By knowing the year, and knowing the weather and climate of that year, one could potentially judge how good a wine is.

 

[jswordy]

Agree also. Vintage is used to identify the year that the grapes were grown. By knowing the year, and knowing the weather and climate of that year, one could potentially judge how good a wine is.

Which is true, but practically inapplicable when it comes to homemade wines using fruits grown locally.

 

[MalvinaScordaad]

Aw heck let's call it a vintage when you drink it and get loaded. Are you serious? really? Sorry I had to comment. Vintage refers to the season of the grape. Fruits have a year they were grown don't they ? Maybe your 2010 Peach Wine was memorable. Then again maybe it is best to forget it. Sorry no offense intended.
Love
Malvina

 

[MalvinaScordaad]

ok so if you didn't grow the "wine materials"? like say skittle wine or something... what would it be then lol

Crap by another name.

 

[deboard]

It varies from country to country, but 75 to 95% of the fruit has to be grown during a year to designate that year as the vintage. Sometimes you will see a wine with no year on it, this means that it cannot claim a vintage because it does not meet the requirements. Not necessarily bad wine, just following the rules.

As for country wines, I'd say the same rules should apply, although I don't see many commercial country wines with vintages.

For skittles, you're probably on your own unless you can find the manufacturing date.

For me, not making anything commercial, I just put the year I started the wine in the primary, mainly for my own record keeping and to see how long the wine has aged.

 

[s0615353]

So by posting, I had my point proven in a way. I believe that the best all encompasing answer (even for the skittles) is the year that you start the wine. Glad to cause a stir on the forum ...

 

[tonyt]

I put date pitched and date bottled on my labels.

 

[JohnT]

It varies from country to country, but 75 to 95% of the fruit has to be grown during a year to designate that year as the vintage. Sometimes you will see a wine with no year on it, this means that it cannot claim a vintage because it does not meet the requirements. Not necessarily bad wine, just following the rules.

As for country wines, I'd say the same rules should apply, although I don't see many commercial country wines with vintages.

For skittles, you're probably on your own unless you can find the manufacturing date.

For me, not making anything commercial, I just put the year I started the wine in the primary, mainly for my own record keeping and to see how long the wine has aged.

Not to "split hairs", but I think that skittles do not contain any fruit (or do they?). I have not actually checked the recipe to see if any kind of fruit is involved in making skittles wine, but I assume that there is not.

That being the case, then there is really no such thing as "skittles wine" as wine is made by fermenting fruit. It therefore falls under the same consideration as beer and would not normally be vintage dated.

 

[tonyt]

Not to "split hairs",
That being the case, then there is really no such thing as "skittles wine".

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

 

[JohnT]

That is not to say that skittles wine isn't good. I'm just speaking technically. If skittles wine contains not fruit, then (technically) it is not a wine any more than mead or beer (or is it?).

 

[tonyt]

I hope you know I'm just kidding JohnT. My posts should come with a disclaimer "may contain BS". Just to comment on your privious post "it is not a wine any more than mead or beer (or is it?)", doesn't that entirely depend on what the definition of is is?

I'm sorry I just couldn't resist. Sorry to have hi-jacked what started out as a legitimate thread.

 

[JohnT]

Tony. I am glad that my big mouth (or big fingers?) did not offend you. I think that most definitions of wine are "fermented fruit".

My point is that, since skittles contain no fruit, and a skittles "fermented beverage" works more or less off of a recipe, and can be very closely replicated since terrior (rain, sun, soil, climate, etc) does not come into play, then vintage (or the specific growing year) has little importance.

 

[Javila]

Just another 2 cents in the hat here; If its a kit i am making I check the date it was packaged and then u can kinda know grapes were picked a few months prior. When I make fruit wine either from fresh fruit....vintage is same year, if its fruit wine from juice....well u get to choose, u r the winemaker.