The variety of grape and the age of vines have a strong impact on the wine. Grape variety: The grape variety (cépage in French) influences the structure, colour and aromas of wine. There are more than 9500 grape varieties existing in the whole world, but only 210 are authorised in France. Age of the vine: The older the vineyard, the more concentrated the grape juice and the more intense the flavour. In general we consider a vine to be mature at 20 years old, and it’s considered old at 35-40.