A wine's vintage indicates the year its grapes were picked. Almost all still wines come from a single vintage. Labels on the bottles show the year in which the wine was made.

The few exceptions to this rule are to be found in the form of inexpensive or branded wines. Fortified and sparkling wines, including Champagne, tend to be non-vintage, because they are frequently created from a blend of different vintages, with the aim of procuring a consistent 'house style'. The exception, in turn, to this particular rule is that, in an outstanding year, Vintage Champagne and Vintage Port will be made.

The weather largely determines how one vintage is different from another. The microclimate of any particular wine-growing region varies from one year to the next. Different grape varieties respond to different climatic conditions in their own particular way. Poor weather conditions are the true test of a good producer, for it is knowledge and experience, through manipulation of the vinification process and skilful blending, which extracts the best possible performance from the grapes.