You probably already know that Champagne can only be called "champagne" if it comes from the Champagne region of France — that is, the grapes have to be grown in the region and made into wine, adhering to strict rules for winemaking. It's such a well-known fact that the internet has meme'd it hundreds of times. Champagne itself is not a rare commodity.
However, not all Champagne is created equal. In fact, the majority of the sparklers we pop to celebrate special events and ring in the New Year are nonvintage (NV), which are made from a blend of multiple wines that can be made in different years. Vintage Champagne, on the other hand, is made with fruit from select years when the grapes can ripen perfectly.
Not every year is good enough to be considered a vintage year, and the wine needs to be aged before it's released for sale, so vintage Champagne is in much shorter supply. These factors combined can make a bottle of bubbly from a highly regarded vintage like . So not only can it not be called Champagne unless it's made in Champagne, but it's important to know that you also can't call it "vintage" Champagne unless it was made with grapes grown in a single, perfect calendar year.
A vintage year is considered exceptional Winemakers in Champagne make wine every year, of course. Non-vintage and vintage champagnes go through the same growing and winemaking processes and are made from the same varieties of legally approved grapes. Still, depending on the growing year, the resulti.