Old Vines, Would
you say YES?
If you ask that question to Winemakers and Owners around the
world they endearingly say, YES! As if
these were their babies that they had nurtured them since birth. I recently had the pleasure of meeting Owner
John Geber of Chateau Tanunda Vineyards in Barossa Australia and tasted his 100
year old Vine Shiraz. He told a story of
recently out of the 120 old vines last year they lost 8 to death and you could
hear the pain in his voice.
Simply put Old Vines typically 50 years or older depending
on what area in the world you ask can make a difference in the taste and
quality of the wine. They are dependable
and consistent in their quality where younger vines can be unpredictable. The grapes are rarely unbalanced and ripen
evenly.
Deep roots make a difference and the older the vines are the
deeper they typically go. In a rainy
season young vines soak up the surface water, bloating the grapes and diluting
the juice. Old vines deep beneath the
surface are unaffected by the rains. In
drought conditions, those old vines can tap water sources deep within the
earth.
Bottom line as wines age and the young bright fruitiness deminishes,
old vines create more depth and layers in the flavor and experience of the
wine.
So Grapes being Grapes I’ll take an Old Vine Wine Everytime!
Check out my website at www.YourWineSage.com for some terrific deals on Chateau Tanunda Wines
Cheers,
Drew Feinberg
Sommelier
Owner/THE WINE SAGE
