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Baudains: Are old vines important?

Recent years have seen a ground swell in support of the conservation of old vines but, Richard Baudains asks, what are they actually bringing to the table?

Statistically, very old vineyards occupy a marginal place in the big picture of the wine world. Are those gnarled trunks and spindly canes uneconomical romance or the source of great wine and precious biodiversity?

To try to unpack some of the complicated issues prompted by the question, I spoke to three people in Friuli-Venezia Giulia who work with old vines, in different capacities.


Scroll down to see notes and scores for wines from old vines



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