Non-vintage (sans année)

Blend of the latest harvest and reserve wines

A non-vintage (sans année) sparkling wine blends wine of the latest harvest with reserve wines from earlier years, so it states no year.1 Non-vintage Champagne needs at least 15 months from tirage before sale.2

Why no year

A harvest year may appear on the label only when a single-year rule is met: 85% of the grapes in EU law, 100% for Champagne.7,8 A non-vintage wine is blended across years on purpose. The Union des Maisons de Champagne describes it as combining the year's wines with reserve wines.1

Reserve wines and house style

The Comité Champagne explains the two parts of the blend: reserve wines bring complexity and keep the house style consistent, while wines of the year bring freshness.4 The blending step itself is described on assemblage.

Minimum ageing

WineMinimum
Champagne, sale15 months from tirage
Champagne, disgorgement12 months from tirage
Franciacorta18 months on lees
Trento DOC15 months on lees
Cava (Guarda)9 months on lees

Sources: Champagne,2 Franciacorta,5 Trento,6 Cava.9 Full list: legal minimum ageing.

Related terms

Some producers call a deliberate blend of named years multi-vintage; legally it is still non-vintage. The opposite is vintage.

See also

Vintage (millésime)StylesMulti-vintageStylesAssemblage and reserve winesMethodsVin de réserveGlossaryMinimum ageing by appellationMethodsChampagneRegions

Sources

  1. Union des Maisons de Champagne (UMC). Blending a Grande Marque cuvée
  2. Cahier des charges de l'AOP « Champagne » - modifications approved by the INAO national committee on 11 September 2024 (national opposition procedure text) (2024-09-11)
  3. Comité Champagne / champagne.education. Principales dispositions du cahier des charges de l'AOC Champagne (fiche) (2026-08)
  4. Comité Champagne (champagne.education). Fiche Élaboration du Champagne (FR) (2024-05)
  5. Consorzio per la tutela del Franciacorta. Franciacorta DOCG production regulations (English translation), as amended 17 July 2017 (2017-07-17)
  6. Camera di Commercio di Trento. Disciplinare di produzione DOC Trento (modificato con DM 30.11.2011) (2011-11-30)
  7. legislation.gov.uk (copy of EU OJ text). Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33, Article 49 (vintage year), original version as adopted (2018-10-17)
  8. DGCCRF (Ministère de l'Économie). Champagne : connaître le langage des étiquettes (2025-12-16)
  9. Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación (Spain). Pliego de condiciones de la Denominación de Origen Protegida «Cava»

Facts checked on 2026-10-19