What does "old Vine" on zinfandel mean exactly?

You ask what it means 'exactly'.



The answer is it means nothing. It is a marketing phrase like 'reserve'.



'Old Vines' on a wine label should indicate that the wine is made from grapes grown on old vines: because vines produce fewer grapes as they get older the flavor from each grape gets more intense and because less juice per vine is produced the wine is more expensive.



Vines can be productive for than 100 years.



The problem with 'Old Vine' on the label is that there is no legal rule on how old a vine has to be, or whether the wine is made entirely from old vines or only some of them are used. .



So the wine could be made from 115 year old vines, or 50 y.o vines, 30 y.o or just 10 years old.



So it comes down to how much you trust the winery. From a reputable winery, then assume the vines are something special but -- unless they say on the back label or on their web-site -- you don't know who old those vines are. For some anonymous brand -- who knows?



So, 'Old Vine' means exactly whatever the winery wants it to mean -- it is a marketing tool, nothing more.

What does "old Vine" on zinfandel mean exactly?
"old vine" means the grapes that were used to produce the wine were grown on vines that are 50 years or older vines. Old vines produce deep, dark concentrated grapes, which are fewer than the younger vines. It results in a deep, dark, bolder wine.
Reply:Old vines produce less must, but a more intense flavour as their roots tend to go much deeper and process the lower mineral layers of the soil.
Reply:old vine, is the stuff you find in the back of your grandfathers basement, its really aged. Zinfandel is a brand, usually White Zinfandel, but its actually red.
Reply:As "Jewelfruit" said it does refer to the age and the amounts produced by the vine, I am a former Chef and member of a French Wine Society, most old vines are ones that have been producing for 30-60 yrs, are deep rooted and tend to have grapes with more character and tannins, with Zinfandel being an old variety and one almost exclusive to California and North America, it is a very round and complex grape.



I am a big fan of Vintage Napa Valley Zinfandels and some from Washington State, White is a red grape crushed and allow only to come into contact with the skins for a short time like French Rose
Reply:Check this out - hope it helps.



http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Old...
Reply:I believe it means literally that the grapes are grown on the older vines. I believe the older vines grow better grapes. Kind of like wine gets better as it ages, the vines get better with age also. I could be wrong, but that's what I've been told. So, the "Old Vine" label should indicate a better bottle of wine (better than the regular NON Old Vine bottle from the same winery..... just like private label or reserve.

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