(VinePair) - There are many indications of quality on wine labels. In Burgundy we see Grand Cru or Premier Cru indicating that these wines came from prized vineyard plots and can fetch a higher price point. In Italy there are words like Riserva and Superiore telling the consumer that these wines are so special that they needed a few extra years in the bottle before release or that the alcohol level is lower, resulting in a more elegant wine. And these are just the tip of the iceberg. Depending on the region every place has their own way of communicating better quality under their particular laws. But there is one quality indicator used that is not required by law anywhere on the globe but it is a source of pride on the same level as all the law abiding words. It is the term Old Vine.

With American wines, we often see Old Vine mentioned on bottles of Californian Zinfandel. From France you’ll see the term Old Vine appear as vieilles vignes and the bottles will often come from the southern arch of the country. There are also some Spanish wines that say Old Vine, but I’ll get into those bottles in a bit because they are a special case and welcome surprise.

So what is going on here? Why would a winemaker want you to know that a particular wine was made from old ass vines if they are not required to by law? And how old does a vine have to be to be considered old?

The answer to the first question is equal parts marketing and pride. It’s widely agreed upon in the wine world that old vines make better wine. Because of this the term has become a marketing tool as well which is why you will even see the term on boxed wines like Bota Box Old Vine Zinfandel.

Newly planted vines take about three years to begin full cropping. They may produce fruit after a year or two but are often pruned before ripening. By the fifth or sixth year a vine is ready for annual harvesting, increases its vigour, the amount of a vine’s vegetative growth, and continues to grow for the next several decades. After about twenty or thirty years the vigour begins to decline. At the age of forty the vine is over the hill and produces less and less fruit. This decline increases until the vine is about fifty years old when the plant is in its twilight years. This is when the vigour generally plateaus.

This stage in a vine’s life is when winemakers refer to it as Old Vine. Just as there is no legislation on the term there is also no official age that defines the term but fifty years seems to be the agreed upon number. Vines can live much longer than this though. One of the oldest vines still producing fruit for production is just outside of London at the Hampton Court Palace. It is also the largest vine on record as of 2005 and was planted in 1769.