Vintage vs Non-Vintage Champagne: What’s the difference? 🍾

Why most bottles are meant to be enjoyed now — not hidden away for years.

When you pick up a bottle of Champagne or sparkling, you’ll notice something immediately: some display a year on the label, and others don’t.

That little detail — a vintage versus non-vintage designation — shapes everything from flavour to ageing potential to price. Understanding the difference can help you choose the right bottle for the right moment… and avoid cellaring something that’s meant to be enjoyed fresh.

In this blog, you’ll learn:

• what makes a Champagne “vintage” or “non-vintage”
• how reserve wines influence flavour
• why most non-vintage is best enjoyed on release
• exceptions — when NV can age beautifully
• what to expect in the glass from both styles

 

What is non-vintage Champagne? 🥂

Non-vintage (NV) Champagne is a blend of wines from multiple years.
It’s the Champagne world’s consistency play.

Think of it like this:
Mother Nature changes every year — sunlight, rain, heat, frost.

NV gives producers the freedom to create a house style that tastes familiar whether you buy it this year, next year, or in a decade.

To achieve that consistency, winemakers use:

• base wine from the most recent harvest, plus
• reserve wines from previous years

It’s a bit like a chef using a master stock — layered, seasoned, and continually refreshed.

Some houses even use a solera-like system, where a portion of older reserve wines is retained and blended forward year after year. The result?
Depth, complexity, and familiarity… without vintage variation.

 

Why non-vintage is best enjoyed on release

Here’s the key reason:
By the time NV Champagne hits the shelves, many of the reserve wine components have already aged.

So you’re drinking something with:

• freshness from the new harvest
• maturity from older reserve wines

It’s balanced.
It’s ready.
And it’s designed to shine now.

If you cellar an NV for years, you risk losing:

• vibrancy
• fruit definition
• acidity
• energy

The toasty, brioche characters may increase, but at the cost of the lively sparkle people expect from NV.

In short:
Most non-vintage isn’t built to wait. It’s blended to be opened.

 

What about ageing non-vintage?

There are exceptions — and they’re worth knowing.

The ageing potential of NV depends on how the blend is constructed. Most NV is made up of the current vintage (the base) and reserve wines (previous vintages). The base makes up ~60-90% of the blend. If a high percentage of the wine comes from the same base vintage, the bottle can behave more like a mini-vintage Champagne, giving it extra longevity.

For example:

• NV with ~90% single-vintage base
• long lees aging before release
• high-quality reserve components

These can develop beautifully for a few years in the cellar.

So while standard NV = drink now
premium NV = can age longer

This is why some NV cuvées from major houses — especially “prestige” NV — hold up remarkably well.

 

What is vintage Champagne? 🍾

Vintage Champagne is made from grapes harvested in a single year, and only when the winemaker believes that vintage was exceptional enough to stand alone.

In the glass, vintage Champagne generally shows:

• more structure
• more intensity
• more ageing potential
• more complexity
• a snapshot of the year’s conditions

These wines are often cellared longer before release, and continue to evolve gracefully for many years after.

Think:

• brioche
• honey
• roasted nuts
• citrus curd
• savoury depth

Vintage Champagne isn’t about consistency — it’s about expression.

 

Drink now vs cellar 📦

Here’s the quick reference:

NV = reliability.
Vintage = character.

 

Pricing — what to expect

Non-vintage:

• typically more affordable
• accessible
• the everyday luxury

Vintage:

• limited quantities
• longer ageing
• higher cost

Not better or worse — just different purposes.

 

The takeaway 

Here’s the simplest way to think about it:

• Non-vintage is crafted for consistency → blended to taste great now
• Vintage is crafted for expression → showcasing an exceptional year, with ageing potential

And some NV — particularly those with high single-vintage base percentages — can blur the line and offer surprising longevity.

Either way, both styles bring something to the table.
The joy of Champagne isn’t just in its bubbles — it’s in choosing the right bottle for the right moment.

Fresh and vibrant for tonight?
Go NV.

Structured and complex for a celebration in five years?
Vintage all the way.