When planted, ready-grafted vines produce fruit one year after planting. The fruit of such vines taste herbaceous and are texturally thin with little flavour.

Most experts agree that a vine starts to mature in seven to eight years. Some premium wineries like Vega Sicilia in Ribera del Duero start using the fruit of 12-year-old vines. Some experts claim vines to have excess energy and vigour up to 25 years, during which period the root system expands and penetrates deep into the soil reaching water reserves and extracting many elements and minerals from the layer of soil.

At 50 years of age, the plant starts producing less but better (deeply flavoured) quality of fruit. As a rule, vignerons replace vines at age 50, but in theory, the plant could produce for a much longer period if well maintained. In fact, there is a vine that is over 300 years old and which could be found in the lobby of a Roman hotel in Italy; this vine still produces a few bunches of grapes annually.

Young vines must be trained to channel their energy to quality rather than quantity. Vignerons achieve this by pruning and green harvesting. There are, however, some growers who feel that good terroir can compensate for young vines. Mature vines will yield great wine and old ones superb quality.

Terroir is important, as are the vine species, yield, and age. Everything is related and must be in balance to end up in a wine that shines. Vines seek to reproduce, and disperse their seeds by attracting birds - the reason for plants to produce sweet fruit. Winemakers take advantage of ripe, sweet grapes. Young vines, like young humans, are vigorous with lots of energy and produce a lot of leaves, shoots, fruit and seeds. During their life cycle, vines adopt two strategies: quantity and quality. Young vines produce less sweet fruit, which attract few birds; old plants produce fewer bunches but sweeter grapes. Such fruit are irresistible to birds, which in turn act as dispersing agents.

Much of the energy of an old vine comes from starch in wood, roots and trunk, while young vines produce more leaves. Starch is metabolically more complex than leaf-derived glucose; therefore, the taste of old vine fruit is more complex. Vines that are not on American rootstock accumulate more starch in their roots. American rootstocks are poor starch accumulators and which makes them less attractive to the phylloxera louse.

A healthy 60 year old vine may not be able to produce twenty bunches, but knows its limitations and yields a few bunches of higher quality.

This is nature's way of balancing, and perceptive winemakers know how to take advantage of it.

For more information consult:

www.wallllach.com
www.torres.es
www.vinasdelvero.es
www.grupopesquera.com
www.renebarbier.es

Now he consults and writes to increase wine, beer and liquor awareness. He conducts seminars and would be pleased to consider your requests. To peruse the list of his published books and order please contact him at hirayrberberoglu_3@sympatico.ca

Hryar Berberoglu www.littlefatwino.com