The Old Vine Project (OVP) team announced that they, their members, and wine lovers all over the South Africa and the world, will be celebrating the inaugural Old Vine Day this year on 01 August 2022 (and every year after from now on), this being the founding date of the OVP in 2016.
Rosa Kruger, vineyard manager and founder of the OVP, began to catalogue old vines in 2002. Since the formal launch of the OVP six years ago, the organisation has gone from strength to strength, with close to 130 members and over 250 Certified Heritage Vineyard (CHV) wines now released each vintage.
The old vine category in South Africa contributes significantly to the country’s global wine brand with old vineyard plantings having increased from 2 952 ha in 2016 to 4 004 ha in 2021, a remarkable 35% increase in six years. With climate change threatening South Africa and the world’s current vineyard plantings, “Planting to grow old” has become the new watchword for the OVP members.
Rosa explains: “If we want to plant vines now that we want to grow old we really need to know where the climate is taking us. Climatologists predict that the world is getting warmer and drier at a rapid pace. Africa’s temperatures may increase at twice that rate compared to the global average. However, there are key actions that can be taken to become more climate resilient in viticulture: Plan and plant smarter; capture rainwater effectively; design new vineyards within correct contours; plant higher and cooler; build a biodiversity of plants, animals and insects; build soil health; and plant acid-retaining varieties or varieties that ripen before heat waves.”
Older vineyards have evolved to bear the strains and stresses of a changing environment, and wines emanating from these venerable vines include bottlings from luminaries such as Adi Badenhorst; Andrea and Chris Mullineux; Chris Alheit; David and Nadia Sadie; and Eben Sadie – as well as larger brands such as Bellingham, Kleine Zalze, and Spier.
A host of equally well-received wines from all over the Cape are also benefiting from the work that has been done to preserve these old vineyards.
The biggest winners, however, are consumers in South Africa and abroad, who can now look for the CHV seal as a mark of outstanding quality with dozens of award-winning wines coming from the OVP members.
In recognition of the sixth anniversary of the OVP and the fact that the old vine category has grown significantly over the last number of years, the OVP is calling on their members, consumers, retailers, and restaurants to join them in celebrating this category of wines on 1 August 2022.
OVP members will be sharing their stories and successes on various social media and other platforms. Consumers will be encouraged to partake of these wines on this special day, and it is expected that the on and off trade will provide more opportunities for their customers to enjoy these amazing wines on the day, too.
Celebrate with us on 1 August 2022 by posting your pictures, stories, and videos of you and your friends and family enjoying wines from the oldest but funkiest vineyards in the land!
For more information, contact André Morgenthal via andre@oldvineproject.co.za or Nadia Hefer via info@oldvineproject.co.za.