As a rule, vines that are at least 35 years old are considered "old". The age is used by producers for advertising purposes to emphasise special quality. This is indicated on the label by designations such as "old vines" or the French term "Vieilles vignes". Many French appellation regulations stipulate that no vines less than three years old may be used. Many important wine estates in France only use vines with a self-imposed minimum age for their Grand Vins. However, there is no generally applicable minimum age and the term is used in different ways. Often these are also ungrafted (ungrafted) vines.
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Markus J. Eser
Weinakademiker und Herausgeber „Der Weinkalender“