Non Vintage Sparkling Wine
Non Vintage sparkling wine is usually labeled NV and is a blend of several vintage years. Most sparkling wine made in Champagne and California is non vintage.
Producing Non Vintage Sparkling Wine
Vintage sparkling wines are only made in particularly good growing seasons. It is rare for a decade to produce more than three vintages of sparkling wine. In lesser years, the grapes are fermented and then blended with wines from previous years that have been held in reserve.
For example, in a particularly cold and rainy year when the grapes did not ripen optimally, the winemaker can blend a reserve wine that was made in a warmer year. This would give the leaner year more body and make it taste more balance.
Winemakers also make non vintage sparkling wines to make their production more consistent year to year. They can build a brand around their NV wines and only release vintage wines in excellent years.
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