Vine Age Affects Vine Performance, Grape and Wine Chemical and Sensory Composition of cv. Zinfandel from California

The wine industry regards old vines as nonpareil because of the vine’s decreased capacity to set and mature fruit, which results in superior wine quality. Here we report the viticultural, chemical, and sensory effects of vine age in Vitis vinifera L. cv. Zinfandel. Three treatments, Young vines (five to 12 years old), Control (representative proportion of young to old vines in the block), and Old vines (40 to 60 years old) were established at an interplanted, dry farmed, Zinfandel vineyard block under consistent, industry standard, management practices in California over two consecutive vintages. Old vines produced, on average, 3.7 kg more fruit and more clusters per vine than Young vines (13.37 tons/ha and 6.52 tons/ha, respectively). While no differences in root distribution or architecture were found, Old vines displayed greater rooting depths (1.52 to 1.73 + m) than Young vines (1.40 to 1.52 + m). Wines from Young vines had lower pH, titratable acidity, and tannins than wines from Old vines, which in turn displayed a wider array and intensity of more complex aromas relative to Young vine wines. Overall, it is concluded that there is a potential for greater yield, rooting depths, and wine quality when extending the longevity of Zinfandel vineyards. These findings support maintaining old vine vineyards to increase tonnage without sacrificing wine quality.