What does vintage mean?

The vintage year on a wine label is the harvest year of the grapes from which the wine was made. The characteristics of a particular vintage year are determined by the weather conditions and resulting grape crop for that year. A California wine with a vintage date must be made from at least 95 percent of grapes harvested in the designated year.

Back to top

Are there rules to knowing which vintages are better for which wine regions?

The characteristics of a particular vintage are determined by the quality of that year’s grape crop. Improvements in wine making over the years have made vintage year less central to choosing a wine produced in most wine regions. Vintages are more important when collecting more expensive wines, especially those designed to be aged, and in growing regions where a less than satisfactory growing season is not compensated for using innovative wine making technology or practices. If you are interested in learning about specific vintages, reading wine publications and tasting wines from different vintages will help you determine a vintage’s characteristics.

Back to top

How about all of these rating systems, are some better than others?

The purpose of a wine rating is to quantify a wine's quality separate from those factors that influence price. Rating systems vary. Some rating systems are based on a 50 to 100-point scale, others on a 5-point scale, etc. Keep in mind when looking at ratings, that the evaluation of wine is subjective. Factors like bottle variability, tasting conditions, and the judges' likes and dislikes will influence a rating. You are the best judge of wine when it comes to what you enjoy drinking. Ratings can be used as a helpful guideline for choosing a wine once you are familiar with the rater's preferred style (if an individual) or the preferred style of those judges whose opinions contribute to a rating.

Back to top

Where does cork come from?

Corks are produced from the bark of a tree grown in the western Mediterranean. It is unique in that it can be peeled from the tree without hurting the tree.

Back to top

Why is cork used to stop wine bottles?

Cork is used to stop wine bottles because its structure renders it light, elastic, and impermeable to most liquids and gases. Corks are produced using the bark of cork trees grown in the western Mediterranean.

Back to top

What is a kosher wine?

A wine is kosher if it is made using strict rabbinical production techniques. A kosher wine cannot include any chemical additives, gelatin, lactose, glycerin, corn products or non-wine yeasts. In addition, the entire wine making process must be conducted by Sabbath-observing Jews under rabbinical supervision. Kosher wines are produced by wineries all over the world.

Back to top

What is a dessert wine?

A dessert wine is usually a sweet wine drunk at or for dessert. Due to its sweetness it is drunk in smaller quantities than table wine. In the U.S., the classification of dessert wine is that of wines which are fortified (the addition of brandy or other spirits to raise the level of alcohol in the wine) whether they are sweet or dry.

Back to top

Why are some wines white some red and some pink?

White wines are generally made with grapes with yellow or green skins. White wines can also be made from black-skinned grapes if the juice is separated from the grape skins early enough–i.e., before fermentation. Red wines get their color from being fermented in contact with the skins of dark grapes. Rosé gets its pink color by either a short contact time with the skins of dark-colored grapes before fermentation or by mixing finished red wine with finished white wine.

Back to top