KEY POINTS:
Aw, that's really old," a friend's offspring exclaimed incredulously with a child's classic candour after recently pressing me to reveal my age.
I was a trifle perturbed. At 34, I viewed myself as being a mere pup, in the prime of my life and decades away from decrepitude and sensible shoes.
I consoled myself with the fact that I won't officially become old until I start drawing my superannuation at 65. But the same criterion can't be applied to grape vines, where a lack of definition as to what constitutes old age has led to considerable debate.
Although there has been little research, it's considered that older vines make consistently better, more concentrated and structured wines.
This is why wineries making wines from venerable vines like to flag this up on their labels through the use of terms such as "old vine" or "vieille vignes".
You don't see much of this on New Zealand wines because of the youth of its industry - some view vines a decade old as positively ancient. In Europe and even closer in Australia - which has some of the oldest vines in the world - it's a different story.
Here, some have been concerned by the misleading use of the term "old vine", a situation that hasn't been helped by the fact there's been little agreement on how old a vine must be before it's deemed to be truly old.
Frustrated by the situation, Robert Hill Smith of Australia's Yalumba decided to take matters into his own hands, releasing the Yalumba Old Vine Charter last year.#This set down definitions Yalumba now applies to its own wines.
Only vines aged 35 years or over can be considered old vines; those of 70 years plus, antique vines; ones 100 years or more, centenarian vines; and any spanning three centuries, a Tri-Centenary Vine.
On this scale, I'm glad to see that I'd still be considered too young for classification for another year at least.
Yalumba also had a crack at pinning down the similarly nebulous term, Reserve.
In countries such as Spain and Italy, the duration and kinds of ageing required before a wine can sport the moniker of Reserva or Riserva respectively are laid down by law. But in most other countries Reserve means diddly squat and has perhaps been more discredited through misuse than the term old vine.
Most people logically assume that a reserve wine is likely to have been a better batch set aside for later release. But I've seen it used on some pretty base booze.
Yalumba's attempt to reinstate the credibility of the term led it to set down criteria its own Reserve wines had to meet. These included being made with one of the classic grape varieties, from a vineyard with a history of achievement using traditional winemaking methods.
Crucially they must be of superior quality, something Yalumba is now having assessed by a tasting panel that includes experts from outside the company.
It's a commendable effort, and I'd welcome more wineries spelling out what Reserve and "old vine" mean in their wines. But as for a global consensus, I'm likely to have been classified as "antique" before we see any universal definitions
Aged and Reserved
Armantes Old Bush Vine Garnacha, Calatayud, Spain 2006
$17
Spain is home to numerous gnarly old vines, and this dark-berried beauty is made from garnacha that has notched up 50 years. It's a ripe mid-weight red, exhibiting classic old vine concentration, with a light dusting of tannins and notes of fruitcake and white pepper spice.
From specialist wine shops.
Pewsey Value Museum Reserve Contours Riesling 2002
$29-$32
This intense dry reserve riesling is made from vines planted in 1962 in Yalumba's Hill Smith family Eden Valley vineyards. Released after five years in bottle, it's starting to develop riesling's attractive, toasty, kerosene aged characters around its zingy core of lemon, lime, mineral and honeysuckle.
From Wine Vault, Caro's.
Riverby Marlborough Chardonnay 2006
$25
Made from 18-year-old chardonnay vines, this is an old vine wine by New Zealand's standards but a mere youth to others This age has possibly contributed to the concentration of this chardonnay with its ripe peachy fruit and toasty notes balanced by a tangy citrus acidity.
From Caro's, Scenic Cellars.
