I. ˈvintij, -tēj noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, alteration (influenced by vineter, vintener vintner) of vindage, vendage, from Middle French vendenge, vendeigne, from Latin vindemia, from vinum wine, grapes + demere to take off, from de- + emere to take — more at wine , redeem
1.
a.
(1) : the yield of grapes or wine from a vineyard during a single season
never did … the vines yield a more luxuriant vintage — Mary W. Shelley
half bottles … of the 1947 vintage — New Yorker
(2) : wine
the vintage flowed freely during the reception
(3) or vintage wine : a wine of a particular type, region, and year and usually of superior quality that is dated and allowed to mature
several ordinary wines and a bottle of vintage
sampled every vintage and kickshaw of the gourmet's art — S.J.Perelman
b. : a collection of persons or things that are contemporaneous with each other and share similar or identical characteristics : crop
the book is not of this season's vintage — Muna Lee
was of the vintage of comfortably well-off intellectuals — Janet Flanner
2.
a. : the activity or process of harvesting and pressing grapes, fermenting the juice, and caring for the new wine
nearly time for the annual vintage
b. : the season when this activity or process takes place
the vintage … is a time of gaiety and … hard work — P.M.Wagner
3.
a. : a period of origin or manufacture
term of Edwardian vintage — New York Times Magazine
a small coupé of rather ancient vintage — Leslie Charteris
b. : length of existence : maturity , age
preserved … shark's fins of twenty years' vintage — Eve Langley
many of us, of a certain vintage , have been forced to think back — John Mason Brown
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
: to harvest (grapes) for making wine
if … a first growth is vintaged a little too late — H.J.Newman
intransitive verb
: to engage in the harvesting of grapes
illustrations … of a winged Eros vintaging — Nelson Glueck
III. adjective
1.
a.
(1) : of or relating to a vintage
prepared for the vintage activities in the vineyards
(2) : unblended and dated with the year of vintage
a vintage wine
— compare nonvintage
b. : having a fine mellowed character
drink a health in vintage vodka
turning leaves make fall a vintage season
c. : of old, recognized, and enduring interest, importance, or quality : classic , venerable
vintage comedy from the silent era — Arthur Knight
collectors who … cherish vintage automobiles — Beverly Kelley
an album of vintage tunes — Wilder Hobson
2.
a. : marked by an advanced age : dating from the past : old , archaic
a vintage actress but still thin and chic — Janet Flanner
failing to answer seventy-two vintage traffic tickets — Robert Rice
b. : not fashionable or up-to-date : old-fashioned , outmoded
vintage plays of no merit whatsoever — Wolcott Gibbs
a rumpled tweed suit of vintage cut — Jacob Hay
3. : of the best and most characteristic : having the typical and most admirable characteristics — used with a proper noun
vintage Shaw: a wise and winning comedy, beautifully played — Time
seemed to be fine … but not absolutely first-rate vintage Old Vic — Mollie Panter-Downes