Old vine
From EncycloWine
Old vine (French: vieilles vignes) is a term commonly used on wine labels to indicate that a wine is the produce of vines that are notably old. However, in France, the United States, and most countries, it has no legal or even generally agreed upon definition.
The implication is that the vines are nearing the end of their productive lives, and average yields are dropping, leading to more concentrated, intense wines. Another factor impacting older vines might be diseases, such as dead arm. "Old vines" might apply to an entire estate, or it might mean only a certain parcel planted before others. In the U.S., the most common use is on zinfandel, because in California vineyards up to 125 years old are still bearing small amounts of prized zinfandel fruit.
In a place where wine production is longstanding, it often means a wine whose vines are thirty to forty years old. Some wine makers insist the wines should be older. In newly-established wine regions, twenty years might be old. The definition is further complicated by the fact that certain varieties simply do not have economically viable yields when they get truly ancient.
Because there is no objective definition, an "old vines" wine might or might not show any specific characteristics related to vine age. Generally, the more reputable the producer, the more likely it is to mean something. Similarly, if a producer sells a "regular" and "old vines" bottling, it is more likely to represent a perceptible difference in character, if not necessarily in quality. In these ways, "old vines" is similar to "reserve," a term that also varies dramatically in its signifigance and often has no legal definition.
See also
- Old clones - a related term indicating a vineyard, potentially even a newly planted one, that was planted with vine cuttings taken from older vineyards.
