What does non-vintage (NV) imply about a Champagne blend?

What does non-vintage (NV) imply about a Champagne blend?

• A. It is a blend from multiple vintages to maintain house style
• B. It is made from a single year's grapes
• C. It is always vintage dated
• D. It is aged for at least 5 years

Answer: (B)

Non-vintage means the Champagne is designed to maintain a consistent house style rather than reflect a single harvest. To achieve that, winemakers blend wines from multiple vintages, often including reserve wines from earlier years. This blend approach smooths out year-to-year variations in harvest quality and flavor, which is why NV Champagnes don’t carry a specific year on the label. A vintage Champagne, in contrast, uses grapes from one year's harvest and is labeled with that year's date.

Non-vintage means the Champagne is designed to maintain a consistent house style rather than reflect a single harvest. To achieve that, winemakers blend wines from multiple vintages, often including reserve wines from earlier years. This blend approach smooths out year-to-year variations in harvest quality and flavor, which is why NV Champagnes don’t carry a specific year on the label. A vintage Champagne, in contrast, uses grapes from one year's harvest and is labeled with that year's date.