What makes something "vintage"?

Search: what makes something vintage

Why: There is a store down the street from my house called American Vintage (it's attached to Home, which makes my favorite pizza ever ever). Does whatever it is have to have been made before a certain year (and, if so, what year)? Does it have to be pre-owned? Rare? One-of-a-kind? Destroyed in some way? Can I call any old thing "vintage"?

Answer: First, in wine - where the word comes from (vin, doy) - a "vintage" is a yield of grapes from a specific growing year. From Yahoo! Answers:

Vintage wine means it comes from the same specific growing year. Some wines are non-vintage, meaning they can or are a blend a wines from more than one year, as is common with non-vintage ports and champagnes.

When referring to clothes (or cars or, like, lamps), this seems to be one of those words stores just use when they feel like it. In general, it means "old or looks old." Here is an eloquent description, some words of advice, and a suggested experiment from a fellow named flightstrip:

i think if somethings old or looks old people generally refer to it as vintage.think its up to the individual to check it out and sift the valuable from the naff.
id say my balls are vintage cos theyre old but pretty well preserved and in full working order though id recommend u try them out to see if they work ok.

BUT! on Etsy, an item must be at least 20 years old to be considered vintage.

Source: Merriam-Webster, Yahoo! Answers, FastFude.org, Etsy

The More You Know: A Google Image search (on a non-work computer) yields quite a bit of vintage porn. Figures. And also this: