I clicked over another year the other day. Another one of many, and it got me thinking.

We live in an ageist society. No doubt about that. The young feel no one takes them seriously – ‘surely, after six months it’s time I had a promotion’ – while their elders worry that they are considered past their use by date. I think it’s worth comparing ourselves with grape vines.

It’s true that a young vine is more productive: a vineyard my age might yield 5 tonnes a hectare, while a 10-year-old one would be churning out a massive 50 tonnes. So, surely, we should be digging up all those old vines and replacing them with new ones? Well, no, because the wine from those old vines is so much better. It’s a case of quality over quantity.

And talking about quality, the average age of Chateau Petrus vines is 45, while the great Burgundies of DRC, range from 30 to 60 years. Further south, the remarkable Chateau Neuf du Papes, Chateau Rayas, only replaces vines when they cease to produce any grapes.

Now, all the above wines will cost you a lot more than $20 so yields aren’t that important, but you will see Vieille Vignes promoted on many a supermarket shelf in France. Occasionally, you’ll see it here, particularly with Barossa Shiraz as there are some pretty ancient vineyards there. The grenache in our Avalon Rosé is from the 50-year-old Rende vineyard in Blewitt Springs. Interestingly, it turns out that some of the world’s oldest productive vines are right here in Australia – there aren’t, to my knowledge, any vines in France over the age of 150 because of phylloxera epidemic in 1870.

I’ve just done a search for Old Vines at Dan Murphy’s and Vintage Cellars. I don’t think their search engines are that accurate; Dan’s have loads – and from under $20, while VC only seem to have two. They tend to be Shiraz or Grenache because that’s what was planted back in the day. Likewise, it’s possible to find Old Vine Riesling and Semillon. Try some.

Old vines do seem to be gaining new fans. There’s even a global organisation dedicated to the cause. This makes me happy, because I’ve discovered that while not as productive as I used to be, the quality of my work has definitely improved over time! Sure, I have less youthful energy, but the lessons of a thousand mistakes have been learned, and some wisdom attained.

I still have a lot to learn though, particularly around bookselling and wine marketing (hint, hint).

We all know that age can be an asset when it comes to the wine as well as the vine. A friend of mine sent me a list of wines he’d recently enjoyed at a lunch in London. I hope someone else was paying! I felt like crying.

Champagne Krug 1988 (en Magnum)

Krug Clos du Mesnil Brut Blanc de Blancs 1990 & 1995 (en Magnum)

Domaine Ramonet Montrachet Grand Cru 2007

Domaine La Cabotte Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru 2007

Chateau Ausone 1918 (en Magnum)

Chateau Lafite 1947 (en Magnum) ;

Pichon-Longueville 1953 (Nicolas)

Dom Perignon Oenotèchue 1969

Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüè Musigny Grand Cru 1995 & 1996 (en Magnum)

1990 & 1999

Sandeman 1927 ; Taylors 1927

Chateau d’Yquem 1955 & 1967