vintage year
C1Formal, Specialised (in wine context); Figurative/Idiomatic (in extended use).
Definition
Meaning
A year of exceptional quality in wine production.
An outstandingly good period or year, especially for achievement or quality.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
In its core sense, it is a compound noun specific to viticulture. In extended figurative use, it functions as a noun phrase indicating peak quality or performance. It always denotes exceptionality, not just any past year.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning. Figurative use is slightly more common in UK English, particularly in journalistic/formal contexts describing, e.g., a politician's career.
Connotations
Both varieties share connotations of classic, high-quality, and excellence. UK usage may retain a slightly stronger link to the wine origin.
Frequency
Low frequency in everyday speech for both. More likely encountered in specialised publications, reviews, or elevated prose.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Year] was a vintage year for [wine region/activity][Event/Activity] is enjoying a vintage yearIt has been a vintage year for [person/group/field]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[To be/To have] a vintage year”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
"2023 was a vintage year for our tech division, with record profits."
Academic
"The period is considered a vintage year for sociological theory."
Everyday
"With the birth of our son and my promotion, it's been a real vintage year."
Technical
"The 2015 Bordeaux was declared a vintage year due to ideal climatic conditions."
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The region hasn't vintaged a year this good in decades. (Rare, technical use)
American English
- They haven't vintaged a year like this since 1997. (Rare, technical use)
adverb
British English
- (No standard adverbial use)
American English
- (No standard adverbial use)
adjective
British English
- This is a vintage-year port, best left to mature. (Attributive noun phrase used adjectivally)
American English
- He owns several vintage-year bottles from Napa Valley. (Attributive noun phrase used adjectivally)
Examples
By CEFR Level
- 2010 was a vintage year for Spanish wine.
- The team's performance this season has been outstanding; it's truly a vintage year for them.
- Experts declared it a vintage year for champagne.
- For Renaissance art historians, 1504 is often cited as a vintage year, marking the creation of several masterpieces.
- The playwright is enjoying a vintage year, with two critically acclaimed productions in the West End.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a VINtage year as the year a particular VINtage wine was born from the VINeyard. Only the best years get this label.
Conceptual Metaphor
QUALITY IS A HARVEST / TIME IS A VINEYARD (A period can yield a 'crop' of exceptional quality).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation as 'винтажный год'. It is meaningless. For wine: 'урожай/год (высшего качества)'. Figuratively: 'золотой год', 'удачный год', 'рекордный год'.
Common Mistakes
- Using it to mean simply 'old' or 'retro' (confusion with the adjective 'vintage'). Saying 'vintage years' plural when referring to a single exceptional period (prefer 'a vintage year').
Practice
Quiz
In a figurative sense, what does 'a vintage year for someone' typically imply?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Its core and most precise meaning relates to wine, but it is commonly used figuratively to describe any exceptionally good period for achievements, results, or quality in various fields (e.g., sports, arts, business).
Not inherently. It refers to the quality of the year, not its age. A vintage year could be recent. However, in wine, 'vintage' wines are from a specific year, so they are by definition from the past.
In wine contexts, they are often synonymous. Figuratively, 'vintage year' more strongly implies a benchmark of excellence within a specific domain, while 'classic year' might be more general.
No. 'Vintage year' is a binary/absolute label (it either is or isn't one based on quality criteria). Intensifiers like 'very', 'quite', or 'really' are used informally in the figurative sense but are stylistically weak. Prefer modifiers like 'exceptional', 'truly', or 'undoubtedly'.