How can I tell I’m tasting the same non-vintage wine scored and reviewed by Wine Spectator?
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Dear Dr. Vinny,
How do I know I’m actually tasting the same non-vintage Port or Champagne scored and reviewed by Wine Spectator?
—Carol, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.
Dear Carol,
A wine’s vintage is the date on the bottle that refers to the year the grapes were harvested. Most wines are vintage wines, and depending on the region and aging regimen, wines can be released during the vintage year, within a few years of the vintage, or even many years after the vintage in the case of certain reserve and late-release wines.
But some wines do not carry a vintage date, and they are called “non-vintage” (or NV for short). You’ll also sometimes see these wines referred to as “multi-vintage,” or MV. As you note, Port and sparkling wines (including Champagne) are popular categories often made in this way. NV wines aren’t better or worse than vintage wines—they’re just a different expression, focused on achieving a consistent style from year to year (versus expressing the vintage conditions). Blending wine from multiple vintages gives winemakers the flexibility to do just that.
Unfortunately, it can be tricky lining up our blind tastings with the particular batches of non-vintage wines currently for sale. We have a policy of reviewing NV wines every year or so to keep track of the wine’s quality. That means that generally, our most recent review should reflect the quality of the bottles currently for sale in most wineshops.
There’s no secret formula here—I recommend looking at our most recent review, paying attention to a bottling’s track record, and going to stores that seem to have brisk sales (and not dusty bottles!). We also mark our tasting notes of NV wines with the year the wine was reviewed, so you can keep track that way.
—Dr. Vinny
