In follow-up to my previous post What is the Difference between Antique, Vintage and Retro?
This evening I had my first formal wine tasting experience and I must say it was incredible. While standing in front of my tempting South African opaque red and pale white wine samples I detected that the history behind wine and its creation spans many years and is closely linked to the western lifestyle.
My mind instantly wandered to the sound of the catchy record player playing in the background and contemplated where on earth did the word Vintage in its entirely really come from? Could it have come from the sophisticated alcoholic beverage made from select fruits and fermented grapes?
Truth be told, Vintage was originally applied to the age of a bottle of wine. The term or word “vintage” actually came from the act of dating a bottle of wine. The date or alternatively when grapes were harvested provided insight into the true value of the wine. The quality of wine was deemed high if the vintage year noted was recognized as a good one for grapes.
Some people say “Vintage” was derived from the French word, la vendage, which translates to grapes picked during a particular season. Others say the word is derived from vin, also know as the French word for wine.
What constitutes a vintage wine? It is balanced! Tonight I tried eight (8) wines in total my favourite was The Chocolate Block (2012) a smooth & aromatic red wine with a delightful taste a cocoa from Boekenhoutskloof made in South Africa.
Keep in mind I am not tabling myself as a wine connoisseur on this date I simply wanted to contribute to the world of wonderful wine reviews in this post and tell you in case anyone asks the word vintage can additionally mean:
Definition: representing the high quality of a past time: vintage cars; vintage movies. old-fashioned or obsolete: vintage jokes. Source: Dictionary.com
So you see “Vintage” fits nicely under both definitions in this instance I just wanted to bring it back to its deep roots.
Cheers
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