Latest Old Vine Project News

In my universe, the world of wine is one big tapestry of people, places and ideas. Within that tapestry there are some threads that meander through its entirety, as what I call “heart strings”. Follow one of these heart strings (of which there are about half a dozen, in my mind) and you’ll end up at its corresponding “anchor” – an origin from which the rest of the tapestry is weaved. I don’t know how much Rosa Kruger would appreciate being called an “anchor” (she doesn’t eve

Alone we can do so little; together, we can do so much. This is the slogan with which friends of South African wine in Germany have sent a new premium wine into the German market on 15 February 2021, pledging allegiance with the exceptional quality born from our vines. Imvini Wethu was born when a group of German business owners, importers, and wine industry professionals decided to find a creative and sustainable solution to support the South African wine industry. The idea

Written by Davy Strange View the original review here. This wine is an oenological TARDIS. It has massive features in its core, but they are wrapped up into a very svelte, elegantly-poised wine. That must mean that Ian Naudé is The Doctor and so I must grill him about next week’s lottery numbers! The core of this Old Vine Chenin Blanc is a confidently structured edifice with prodigious density and power. There is old vine depth of fruit, and layers of greengage, grassy, appl

Ambiguous but essential efforts to preserve vineyard heritage. Writer Rod Phillips Photographer Jennifer Latour View the original article here. The words “old vines” (and their equivalents in other languages) appear on wine labels from all over the world. They suggest (why use the term otherwise?) that wines made from grapes grown on old vines have qualities that wines made from young vines lack. The conventional wisdom is that once vines pass a certain age—say, 20–30 years—t

Written by Raphaela van Embden View the original article here. , or so the Greek proverb goes, conjuring up further inspirational poster sentiments. You know the kind. “Nature is cheaper than therapy” emblazoned on a snow-capped mountain vista or a forest canopy (probably making use of some serious Instagram filter action) with “The closest you’ll get to immortality” in all caps. It’s enough to make the most city-hardened of us set forth to pastoral pastures, a checkered kna

By Raphaela van Embden View the original article on wine.co.za We tend to think of the wine players in two categories: those of the bulk masses and the terroir die-hards. But occasionally you get those who bridge the divide, gaining firm footing in both. Such is the case for uniWines Vineyards, one of South Africa’s largest producers, who, with their Daschbosch brand, have managed to do this one unique move: they made old vine wines. I sat down with Pieter Cronje, Head of Ma

The Innovative Old Vine Project Aims to Preserve and Celebrate SA's Oldest Vines By Richard Holmes Read the original article here SA may fall into the so-called “new world” of wine, but its viticultural history stretches back more than 350 years. While none of those vineyards, planted where Cape Town’s suburb of Bishopscourt now stands, remain in the ground, the innovative Old Vine Project (OVP) aims to preserve — and celebrate — SA’s oldest vines. And the memorable wines th

Proof that old vines add value By Michael Fridjhon Read the original article here Research from the University of Cape Town shows that using old vine fruit earns winemakers more money. This effort to quantify the gains, says Michael Fridjhon, will help keep these treasures alive. South Africa has finally discovered – and celebrated – its treasure trove of old vineyards. A country which typically renewed its plantings every 15 to 20 years, pretty much as soon as the yields beg

WOSA Old Vine Tutorial What is the driving force behind South African "Old Vines" and what value does the world first "Certified Heritage Vineyard" seal add to South African wines? Petra Mayer (WoSA Market Manager, Germany) hosted a Zoom Session on 27.07.2020 delivering compact background information about South African Old Vines together with André Morgenthal (Project Manager Old Vine Project) and Jo Wessels (Sommelier OPUS V Mannheim, Top-25 Sommelier (ASI,2020).

Cork Talk with Rosa Kruger During the latest episode of Cork Talk, Tim Atkin and Rosa Kruger discuss the factors that make a great vineyard, sites of the future and why the South African wine industry needs our help in these difficult times. The podcast is live on Podbean and Spotify

Mixing it up By Tim James