536 THE ADVOCATE
VOL. 80 PART 4 JULY 2022
Europe such as Spain. To qualify under their respective programs, South
African and Barossa vines must be at least 35 years old, and in Barossa there
are categories for 70+ (Survivors), 100+ (Centenarians) and 125+ (Ancestors).
Robinson notes:
Some Australians got there first—with the Barossa Old Vine Charter that
was drawn up in 2009, based on even earlier vine-preservation work by
the family company Yalumba. At least 10 Barossa vineyards have qualified
for the Barossa Ancestor Vine accreditation, being more than 125
years old. Langmeil’s The Freedom Shiraz vineyard was apparently
planted in 1843, with Cirillo’s Grenache only five years younger. …
In Barossa they claim to have the oldest vines in the world but they may
have to revise that claim. Bolivia has vines believed to be 200 years old
growing, as they used to before we corralled them into vineyards, up
trees. And during the recent online Old Vine Conference, Tim Atkin MW
displayed a bottle of Leo Erazo’s A Los Viñateros Bravos País, lamenting
that it retails for well under 20 or $20 a bottle even though the vines are
more than two centuries old. …
One country that has enviably detailed records is South Africa. The KWV
regulatory body oversaw every aspect of vine growing and wine production
on the Cape from 1918 and has records of vine planting even earlier
than that, so that those in charge of the country’s Old Vine Project
launched in 2016 have an extra degree of certitude compared with other
similar initiatives. …
Like almost all of the world’s oldest vines, these ancient plants in California
and the southern hemisphere have never been irrigated and, instead
of being trained on more productive trellis systems that may be better
adapted to damp climates by encouraging aeration, they grow in low
bushes, their trunks visibly widening every year. This seems to have
encouraged them to develop deep, well-established root systems that
keep them well supplied with just enough water to survive and produce
grapes full of flavour.3
For those who wish to learn more, follow the link in endnote 4 of this column
to the Old Vine Conference website Robinson mentions, click on
recordings of past conferences and become an expert on old vines.4
Knowing how old vines are now being prized, the question remains: Are
wines from old vines better? The answer is a definite “maybe”. As I said earlier,
there are a multiplicity of factors that go into good wine. While there is
a saying that “good wine is made in the vineyard”, that vineyard must be
well maintained, the vines healthy, the variety suitable for the area (which
is a different issue than the vine thriving in that environment) and the handling
of the grapes done carefully. Finally, the winemaker must fulfil that
role well in the winery. But all else going well, the characteristics of an old
vine shine. As the quotation that begins this article suggests, the concentration
in their juice offers the brightness of sunbeams.