Hardscrabble Journal

How long does a grapevine last?

How long does a grapevine last? This frequently asked question is a good one, but one without a good answer. You see, it depends.

I’ve been thinking a lot about vine longevity as I am now pruning a block of Chardonnay vines planted in the 1980s. At that time we were observing very high vine vigor in our new vineyards and decided to use a newly developed training system called the French Lyre. This was designed to spread out shoot growth and accommodate large, robust vines. The Lyre worked out very well for the first twenty years, but eventually our vine’s youthful exuberance receded. Now we face the opposite dilemma of not enough vine growth to fill the allotted space.

For a while we tried pushing the vines with compost and chicken manure. They did temporarily regain some of their vim and vigor, but the clusters and berries also grew large, compact, and highly susceptible to bunch rots. I’ve since learned that as vines age, they slow down and there is nothing one can do about it. This is why we now plant vines much closer together. We plan for old age.

I decided to let these old vines find their own balance. Yields have been declining, while wine quality has become exceptional. I’ve walked many European vineyards where vines much older than thirty years struggle to produce yields but a fraction of their youthful days. I’ve then tasted the wines with highly emotional winegrowers emphasizing the history of said vines planted by long-gone grandfathers. If that doesn’t give one pause, then we have ceased being human.

If the original question were to be based on economics or productivity, then it would be clear. Old vineyards are a waste of resources and should be removed once yields start to decline. This would probably be around year 20 or 25. However there is so much more about winegrowing than bean counting.

Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Journal: December 29, 2019