Learn More
Research & Findings
An international
research community
Connecting researchers across the globe to collaborate and share knowledge on old vines and the wines they produce.
Advancing the science of old vine viticulture
The Old Vine Project invites you to join the community of international researchers. We aim to connect researchers across the globe to collaborate and share knowledge on old vines and the wines that they produce. For specific enquiries, please contact info@oldvineproject.co.za.
south Africa
Research projects on old vines
Exploring analytical methods for the detailed chemical profiling of old vine Chenin Blanc wine volatiles
Ngxangxa, De Villiers, Nieuwoudt & Tredoux, 2018
Stellenbosch University
Read here
Can transcriptomics shed light on the "old vine" character of wines?
Burger, Coetzee, Oosthuizen & Mare, 2019
Stellenbosch University
Read here
Evaluating the worth of nascent old vine cues for South African wines
Steyn & Priilaid, 2018
UCT Graduate School of Business
Read here
Findings
Sensory and chemical profiles of Old Vine Chenin Blanc
The chemical profiling of the 'old vine' sensory character of Chenin Blanc wines has taken an important step forward in a collaborative effort between the Department of Chemistry and the Institute for Wine Biotechnology at Stellenbosch University, the Chenin Blanc Association and private cellars.
A clear differentiation between 'old vine' Chenin Blanc wines and those produced from younger vines was demonstrated, and the individual volatile compounds responsible for the differences are being identified.
The 'Aroma of South African Chenin Blanc Wines' wheel was updated to include the new aromas and mouthfeel attributes identified through this research.
Findings
Old vine Pinotage research
Research to investigate possible genetic influences on improved wine quality in old Pinotage vines has been conducted by Professor Johan Burger at Stellenbosch University. His team compared both gene expression levels and total microbiomes in old (53 years) and young (seven years) Pinotage vines, inter-planted in the same commercial vineyard.
Results show a significant difference in the grapes and juice of young vines compared to older vines, with older vines having significantly higher acid at a lower Balling — resulting in lower alcohol and better pH.
Findings
The worth of old vineyard wines
Some of the most exciting new wines in South Africa have come from noble old vines, the fruit from which had mostly been disappearing into large anonymous tanks - with farmers receiving little reward for the low yields these vines produce.
Research undertaken in collaboration between Winetech, the University of Cape Town and the UCT Graduate School of Business concluded that vine age does in fact have a significant influence on the price of wines in South Africa.
They found that R2.96 is added for every year a vineyard has been in the ground - translating to a R103.60 premium for a 35-year-old vine entering old vine status.
Heritage selections
Planting For the future
The OVP, in conjunction with Vititec, worked to develop virus-free Heritage Selection plant material in order to take the industry into the next phase of 'planting for the future’. This is a philosophy of developing vineyards that will continue to deliver grapes of outstanding quality as they grow older.
To achieve virus-free status, individual vines were selected from the best old vine vineyards in the Cape and 'cleaned' of any known viruses through heat therapy — conducted under laboratory conditions. These Heritage Selections are now being propagated for industry to plant new planting material.
For any enquiries contact info@oldvineproject.co.za
