Wine101: Why does vintage matter?

Vintage — the year printed on a wine label — can give a bottle a certain cachet. But what does vintage mean?

The vintage refers to the year in which the grapes were harvested for that wine. In the Northern Hemisphere, the grape-growing season is roughly April to October. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s reversed, with the season beginning in October and harvest happening in April.

Sometimes you’ll see the word “non-vintage” or “NV” on a label. That means the wine is a blend of wines from several vintages. These bottlings are characterized by their consistent house style — to make a wine taste the same from year to year, vintners often blend wines of several vintages. Consumers may want this style they can depend on year after year — they want to know the wine they buy will be like the last bottle.

These bottlings also tend to be on the less-expensive side.

Good vintage? Bad vintage?

The caprice of Mother Nature can wreak havoc in the vineyards from year to year. Some growing seasons produce wine scarred with smoke taint, while others deliver sublime bottlings.

What’s key in defining a good vintage are the number of sun-kissed days in which grapes can bask. Sunshine helps grapes reach their optimal physiological maturity.

When a region gets too much rain, grapes don’t reach their full maturity and, what’s more, they’re susceptible to disease and rot. On the other hand, the scorching temperatures of heat spikes can be equally detrimental and render grapes raisin-y in flavor and appearance.

Vintage, older wines and price

Red wines typically age longer than whites because they’re fermented on their grape skins. The tannins in the skins give red wines their longevity.

Naturally, there are some exceptions to the rule. Some whites can age well for up to 30 years, such as Sauternes and rieslings.

On the whole, older red wines from great vintages will likely be pricier than their white counterparts. Take, for example, the 1997 vintage. It was considered stellar in Northern California, and the price tags on red wines prove it. The Shafer Vineyards, 1997 Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon is $470, according to online retailer wine.com. Meanwhile, the Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes of the same year is $379, according to the online retailer wine-searcher.com.

Vintage charts

So how do you find out what’s a good vintage and what is a poor one?

Tapping into a vintage chart compiled by an esteemed wine publication is the best way to gauge the success of a vintage.

Homing in on a particular year, vintage charts summarize the quality of wines from a particular region. While general in nature, they help consumers shop wisely when they’re considering unfamiliar wines. They also help collectors decide when aging wines in their cellars are optimum to uncork.

One caveat with vintage charts: But be sure to read the assessments carefully. Keep in mind a great vintage for white wine might not be a great one for reds. Also, geography is pivotal because some growing regions thrive in a particular year while others falter.

Here are three respectable publications that offer top-rate vintage charts: Wine Spectator (winespectator.com); The Wine Advocate, founded by Robert Parker Jr. (robertparker.com); and Berry Bros. & Rudd, a family-run British wine & spirits merchant (bbr.com).

The vintage chart of Wine Spectator offers three guidelines: the score, summing up the quality of the bottlings; the description, commenting on the season and the wines in general terms; and drink suggestions, offering sage advice on when aging wines are best to uncork.

With an eye to ratings, the Wine Spectator gave the 2017 vintage in Napa for cabernet sauvignon 92 points out of 100. Coining it “Napa’s most difficult season in recent memory,” the magazine said “its good growing season turned wickedly hot in early September, with no cooling-off period. Then wildfires raged in early October, raising the specter of smoke taint.”

Luckily, most wineries, like Napa’s Shafer Vineyards, had the lion’s share of their grapes safe in the cellar before the Nuns Fire and the Tubbs Fire erupted on Oct. 8, 2017.

Shafer had only one fairly small vineyard block that hadn’t been picked. They decided to donate that fruit to a UC Davis smoke taint study, according to winery spokesperson Andy Demsky.

Many are curious about what lies ahead for the 2023 vintage. It’s too early to tell how it will play out — whether it will it dodge wildfires, heat spikes and heavy rains. To date, one thing that’s certain is that the grapes weren’t damaged by the spring storms, according to Karissa Kruse, president of Sonoma County Winegrowers. Luckily, she said, the grapevines were in their dormant period during the heavy rains.

You can reach Wine Writer Peg Melnik at 707-521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pegmelnik.