Tim's Ravings

As another year passes, I feel moved once again to write (not rave – I fear I may be mellowing…) in praise of age. Isn’t one of the perks of getting older the license to repeat yourself?

I love a good aged wine and good ageing style wines, and I love making them. Using time and nature to soften a wine, instead of stripping or sugaring it up in the winery, results in such subtlety and complexity it exposes most young wines for the brash, overblown (or worse – bland and jammy) upstarts they are. It’s why I continue to frustrate my bean counter, cellar and warehouse staff with the cost, complexity and challenges of storing our reds for 4-5 years before releasing them to you, and justifies my treasure trove of museum wines dating back to the ‘70s that those of you who attend my winemaker’s lunches and a privileged other few get to sample with me every now and then! 

My faith in the capability of old vines to produce superior fruit is also undimmed, even as I see them feeling the stress of a hot season like this one (aren’t we all…). Old vines produce lower yields of more intensely flavoured fruit; smaller berries with a better ratio of tannins and acids (skin and seed) to fruit; and have the ability to weather climatic extremes thanks to deeper, thicker roots and years of experience. For great wines, I will always choose an older vine over a new one.

What I haven’t done before on the topic of age is to celebrate the contribution in the workplace of the mature employee. Now maturity can come without age, so don’t jump down my throat for being ageist; we’re very lucky indeed to have the skills and hard work of some fantastic younger folk. 

It just so happens that a couple of my new-ish young employees didn’t work out, their replacements were more “seasoned” and it got me thinking. I’d just like to say I’m heartily appreciative of the attitude, work ethic and professional and life experience the mature bring to the table, and any employer who discriminates on the basis of old(er) age has got to be barking..