Old Vine Day
Celebrated on August 1st
Old Vines. Gnarled and twisted, these vines hold vintages of history. Growing wiser as they age, they become less susceptible to disease pressure, and changes in the weather don’t phase them as much.
If we could see beneath the soil, we would find their roots running deep, slowly breaking through the soil and harder rock, dipping into water reserves beneath the ground that younger vines have not yet reached.
Inside the vine, through the sturdy, thick branches, the sap has more room to flow. With maturity comes balance, knowing where to spend energy and where to conserve it. Old vines find a balance between how much canopy to grow and how much fruit to produce.
These vines grow into sustainability. After years in the same soil, they have adapted, finding water and twisting to protect themselves from the wind and elements.
Their bulk is a reservoir for carbon, and those deep roots have melded with the mycorrhizal networks beneath the soil.
These vines hold stories, having come through vintages with drought, freeze, or flood. We can learn from them.
They also make delicious wine. They refine the fruit they grow vintage after vintage. Although they produce fewer grapes as they age, the grapes they do produce are rich, deep, and complex in flavor.
They are deeply a part of the place, like the old-timer in a small town who can share with you all the stories of the history of a place. You can taste that in the glass.
Nurturing old vine vineyards is better for the planet than tearing out a vineyard when production starts to drop. Replanting vineyards often requires deeply plowing the soil, which kills off all of those healthy microbes and releases carbon into the atmosphere. Wineries frequently feel a financial pull to do this when the vines are not producing the quantity of grapes they need to keep afloat.
This is why purchasing a bottle of “Old Vine” wine is likely to be more expensive than the other wines on the menu. It’s worth it, trust me. It’s the difference between hiring an intern or an expert.
Old Vine Advocates
Several communities have organized to acknowledge and save Old Vines.
In 2022, #OldVineDay was created by the Old Vine Project in South Africa to protect South African vines over 35 years old. https://oldvineproject.co.za/oldvineday/
The Old Vine Conference looks to create a global network and safeguard Old Vines. Founded in 2021, they want to build a wine category for Old Vine wines. https://www.oldvines.org/
The Wine Scholar Guild is an educational partner for the Old Vine Conference https://www.winescholarguild.com/blog/wine-education-careers/about-old-vines-conference
The Old Vine Registry launched in June of 2023 with an online registry and database. This grassroots effort was inspired and started by Jancis Robinson, who worked with Tamlyn Currin to assemble an Old Vines registry.
Today, this crowd-sourced database is available online for people to research and share Old Vine vineyards.
Click through to learn more about these organizations and look for vineyards that support and value their old vines. Spend the money and buy that bottle. Then, take the time to savor it. It is history in a glass.
Happy #OldVineDay!
More on Old Vines from Crushed Grape Chronicles
- Chenin Blanc from L’Ecole No. 41 – Old Vines and breakfast for dinner
- Selby Old Vine Zin – Day 3 – 12 Days of Wine 2021
- Nicodemi – vineyards and cocciopesto in the hills of Teramo, Abruzzo, Italy
- Red Willow Vineyard in Washington’s Yakima Valley – an iconic vineyard and a trailblazer in Modern Washington Wine
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine and WSET 3 Certified. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
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