New rules for ‘old vines?’
There are no rules for labels – everybody says it, everybody knows it – though everyone still used the label. But, eventually changes are planned.
Not everyone was consulted from the start – which caused some ruffling of feathers at the INAO and in the Languedoc – but it seams that the limit for labeling your wine ‘VV’ will be set at 35 years. But it’s France, so will there be more consultations planned? And is it legally binding? Your guesses are as good as mine, but the current info is that 35 is the number
It’s not ideal, and whether it’s the right (best?) age also depends on the grape-variety. It will also pose questions for many labels of long standing – Musigny Vieilles-Vignes, anybody?
But finally, it may come to fruition !!
















A wine that I tasted blind, loved, and later bought. It was this wine that brought me to the young domaine of Alexandra de Vazeilles in Fleurie.
The December 2025 issue: