Latest Old Vine Project News

View the full article by Daléne Fourie here. "Achingly refined." – Tamlyn Currin, Jancisrobinson.com. Tamlyn wrote this of the 2018 Grenache noir from David & Nadia Sadie, rating the wine a stellar 17.5 out of the 20-point Jancis Robinson MW rating scale. An enduring sentiment when faced with their latest 2022 releases. Which, considering the vintage, is an incredible achievement. Last Friday, a group of wine lovers and industry commentators sat down to a breakfast tasting

View original article by Richard Holmes It was 1920. King George V was on the English throne as Jakobus Hendrik de Wet carefully planted his vines of Muscat d’Alexandrie in South Africa’s Breedekloof valley. In 1936, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected for a second term when the “La Colline” semillon vineyard was laid out on the outskirts of Franschhoek. In 1964, as the Rolling Stones dropped their debut album, farmers Basie van Lill and Joshua Visser were planting

In this episode of One More Glass Of Wine, Jeremy Maarschalk chats to Sheldon van Wyk, who was awarded the Viticulturist of the Year for 2022 by Tim Atkin. We had the opportunity to learn about Sheldon's history, his love for vineyards, and the incredible vineyards he has worked with to produce some of South Africa's pinnacle wines. During this podcast, we tasted the Waterford Old Vine Project Chenin blanc and learned about Sheldon's integral work with the Old Vine Project an

View the full article by Chris Howard on JancisRobinson.com Inspired by WWC21 winner Chris Howard’s eloquent description of South Africa’s Old Vine Project, Jancis shares her notes from a special tasting. See this guide to our extensive coverage of old vines. 'I offer my notes from a tasting of 13 wines from Old Vine Project Certified Heritage Vineyards that I was treated to at the end of my first day judging the Trophy Wine Show last May.' Jancis Robinson

View the full article by Chris Howard on JancisRobinson.com As we approach the end of August, when it will be time for you to vote on your favourite entry in this year’s writing competition, we’re publishing this account by Chris Howard*, winner of our 2021 competition, of his long-postponed prize: a trip to see South Africa’s cherished old vines in person. Above, Chenin vines dating from 1964 successfully transplanted from the Paardeberg Mountains to the L’Ormarins estate in

The Old Vine Project has created the ‘Old Vines: Laying the Groundwork’ course which is designed to educate industry members across the entire value chain. Sommeliers, wine retailers, winemakers, viticulturists, sales and marketing personnel, media, and consumers, will all be able to delve into the old vine category of South Africa. They will be able to review old vine philosophies, hear from a range of industry legends across the wine industry about their areas of expertise

The odd contradiction about wine is that wine is far more about what’s outside the bottle than what’s in it. The history of the people who made it, of a place, the year it was grown in, and the political machinations that shaped it. Wine is not about a moment of silence, but of bibulous storytelling. Old vines have stories built into them. They are our viticultural grandparents imparting wisdom, able to communicate the ineffable taste of a place. In South Africa we can boast

View original article byRod Phillips “A diamond is forever” runs the famous phrase coined in 1947 by South Africa’s De Beers diamond mining company. As for grapevines—not forever, but potentially for many decades and even for more than a century, if they’re looked after. And that’s the aim of South Africa’s pioneering Old Vine Project, which encourages owners of the country’s oldest vines to keep them in the ground and continue to make wine from them. References to “old vines

View the full article by Daléne Fourie here I lived in London, like many other South Africans. I did not like it. The horizon seemed just a little too small, the sun not bright enough, and the tall buildings couldn't make up for Table Mountain at my back. It is a different experience travelling to London with a group of South African winemakers (and Rosa Kruger) intent on selling South African wine to our biggest export market. Based on 2021 and 2022 SAWIS statistics, they r

View the full article by Daléne Fourie here The launch of the Old Vine Registry last week couldn't have been better timed. Last Wednesday, I travelled to London with Rosa Kruger of the Old Vine Project to help host a South African Benchmark Tasting at South Africa House in Trafalgar Square on behalf of Museum Wines. We were joined by Greg Sherwood MW, Wines of South Africa UK, and winemakers Kiara Scott of Brookdale Estate, Ian Naudé of Naudé Wines, Sakkie Mouton of Sakkie M

View the full article by Daléne Fourie here Did you know there is a South African Tug of War Federation? And did you know that the highest percentage of Springbok tug of war athletes hail from the Breedekloof (or officially the Goudini club)? They also compete in tent pegging/Gymkhana equestrian sports and jukskei, a 270-year-old folk sport. An eclectic mix of pastimes, but judging by the feedback, something the people of the Breedekloof are very passionate about and known fo

View the full article by Daléne Fourie here "A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination, and now a hero by necessity."- David Gemmell, Legend. I love David Gemmell. I always have had a flair for the dramatic, and his fantastical tales of Celtic tribes and Druss the Legend played right into my wheelhouse. I see him everywhere in modern-day South African wine. Vineyard School Yesterday I spent the day with Rosa Kruger, Sheldon van Wyk, Nadia Hefer, Heinrich Schloms, Davi

Rosa gesels ouwingerde, die ontstaan van die Ouwingerdprojek en meer. 'Die primere doelwit van die Ouwingerdprojek is om ou wingerde te bewaar en in die grond te hou.' - Rosa Kruger Rosa Kruger is die eerste Suid-Afrikaner en wingerdboukundige om die internationale wyntydskrif, Decanter, se Hall of Fame toekenning in te palm. Kwela se André Weideman gesels met Rosa asook Nadia Hefer en André Morgenthal op die wynplaas Reyneke op Stellenbosch wat deel maak van die OVP span op

View original article here. Barcelona Wine Week is a three-day event that offers wine lovers and members of the trade the chance to get to grips with Spanish wine. Sergey Panov reports on what’s happening in Spain in 2023. Barcelona Wine Week has just finished for another year. For Spanish buyers and foreign visitors alike, it was an opportunity to meet artisanal producers whose wines often stay below the radar. Thanks to the democratic cost of participation at BWW, it’s eas

By Dr Jonathan Steyn View the original article here. Dr Jonathan Steyn caught up with global viticultural thought leader Rosa Kruger, who recently became the first South African to be inducted into the Decanter Hall of Fame. What began as a vine finding mission in her bakkie quickly snowballed into the Old Vine Project, which seeks to protect, promote, and develop vineyards older than 35 years and advance a culture of planting to grow old. JS: You mentioned that initially ma

View the full article by Daléne Fourie here “Now this is the Law of the Jungle - as old and as true as the sky, And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that shall break it must die. For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack." - Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book. One hundred-point ratings are subjective, to be sure, and who you ascribe to should really be a matter between you and God. However, there is no denying that

By Jamie Goode View the original article here. Over recent years one of the most exciting developments in the South African wine scene has been the emergence of the Old Vine Project, with its certification scheme for wines made from vineyards at least 35 years old. Viticuluralist Rosa Kruger and consultant André Morgenthal have steered this project with great skill, and have managed to bring all the various stakeholders together to create something that has added value to th