Welcome Back Tasting!
Happy New Year

Old Vine Wine A Best Kept Secret

Older vines create some of the best wines in the world. In almost all examples, expensive, limited, and highly acclaimed wines come from older vines. However, not all old vine juice is pricey. The older the vine the less grapes it produces. This is why many growers focusing on volume, rather than quality, will tear up the older vines.
      The older the vine, the more complex the resulting wine. A producer who preserves and cultivates older vines will often mention this on the label. Europeans are notorious for not giving much information about a wine. More and more are starting to accommodate curious Americans by letting us know when the vines are old. It was illegal to say the vines are old in some growing regions of Europe, but this is changing.

Here is the term 'old vine' in few languages:

Vieille Vigne - French
alte Reben - German
Vigna Vecchia - Italian
Vinha Velha - Portugese
Viejo or Vieja - Spain

I'll bet you have seen these terms before on the label of imported wines. There is no government over sight in the use of the term old vine on domestic bottles. Read the label, ask if you are not sure. Many think vines are old at 40. Vines can live as long as a human or longer. There are some wines made from 70, 80, even 100 year old vines at reasonable prices. There are many old vine examples from our domestic growers too. Look to zinfandel, carignan, and mourvedre for examples of inexpensive old vine juice. These three grapes were used as field blends, grown together, and can often be found blended together. Some producers will omit that there is a splash of carignan or mourvedre in with the zinfandel, others boasts their inclusion.
      Old vine wine can often need a little breathing time. A vine that has been encouraged to grow copious amounts of berries will not stand the test of being yesterday's leftover. Wine made from old vines will often be better the second night. Old vines, no matter how they are maintained, will not grow a ridiculous amount of grapes. The less a vine produces, the better the juice, and unfortunately, the less money a grower can make on that vine. Supporting growers who embrace these old plants can be a very rewarding experience.