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DOES MORE EQUAL LESS?
Do higher yields mean lower quality? Belinda Wilkinson, by email Andy Howard MW, Decanter contributing editor, replies: Yield (in wine-production terms) is a measure of either the mass of grapes or the volume of wine produced per hectare of vineyard. Many believe that low yields equal higher quality, and high yields mean lower quality. But is this the case?
The subject of yields is a complex one that relates to many factors. A lower yield could be the result of deliberate actions in the vineyard (such as leaf thinning or vine-planting density) that may encourage better ripening. But lower yields can also be the result of climatic conditions, the age of the vines (older vines tend to produce lower volumes) and vine health. Some of these factors, such as disease, don’t result in higher quality. The key is that the vine should be in balance with the vineyard – the climate, soil type, aspect, nutrition and rainfall.
It is true that many appellation rules (such as those in Burgundy) specify a lower yield for premier and grand cru wines,
