Innovative marketing stunt. I first thought this photo was taken in Austin, Texas, but this one served customers in Berlin for a few weeks.
Source: VeuveClicquout.com
Typically, Champagne is available in two categories, vintage and non vintage.
Non vintage? Vintage? What is it all about? Someone, some time, asked me this question. The difference comes down to quality and price. Myself I do not tend to afford to drink anything else than the non-vintage variety.
Therefore it is no surprise that vintage equals expensive Champagne.
Non vintage – Your standard Champagne
Non vintage, often abbreviated NV, is the most common type of Champagne. Non vintage Champagne is made from a blend of grapes from different years, and the goal is to produce a wine that always tastes the same regardless of what year it was made. A consistent taste is what the big houses’ want from their NV Champagne.
For example Moet and Chandon’s Imperial always tastes the same, year after year. Consistency is the key with NV, and greater years are blended with lesser years to produce a consistent, yet very good wine.
Advert for Moet & Chandon's Brut Imperial Non Vintage
Vintage – Champagne from exceptional years
Vintage Champagnes are both expensive and rare. Why? Read on:
Vintage Champagnes are only produced in excellent years and consist of grapes from only one year. They are produced only in years where the quality of the harvest was very good, and are generally better, and more expensive wines than their non vintage counterparts.
It was a very good year..
Examples of great vintage years are 1988, 1990, 1996, 2000, and 2002. Some producers also made vintage wines in other years. Each vintage will taste different.
Where the non vintage Champagnes are produced to taste like all the other non vintage Champagnes from the same producer, the non vintage varieties are the ones who may surprise you with their taste.
