To protect South Africa's oldest vines

March 11, 2022Thomas

Mission: Protecting Old Vines

Producers seek protection for “Old Vines”

Old vines are a special treasure in the wine world. However, as there are different definitions worldwide for what constitutes an old vine, it is not always easy to know the full lifespan and history of a site.

In South Africa, the Old Vine Project (OVP) aims to clarify these ambiguities by registering sites that are 35 years or older as Certified Heritage Vineyards. When a wine is made from one of these sites, its label bears a seal and the year the vineyard was planted.

According to SA Wine Industry Information and Systems (SAWIS) data from 2020, there are approximately 9,125 hectares of vineyards in South Africa that are 35 years or older, spread across various regions with different soil types. Of the more than 80 certified "Heritage Vineyards" in South Africa, 10 are over 100 years old.

One of these sites, Basson Vineyard in the Wellington Wine of Origin (WO) appellation, is South Africa's oldest certified red wine vineyard and one of the first OVP Certified Heritage Vineyards.

The almost one-hectare vineyard was planted with Cinsault in 1900. It was one of the first sites to be replanted after the phylloxera outbreak. The gnarled bush vines are deeply rooted in the sandstone alluvial soils of the Table Mountain.

Since 2014, Andrea and Chris Mullineux of Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines have been looking after this special site.

When they began farming the site, the vineyard itself was not very productive, even considering its advanced age. However, years of care and rehabilitation by the Mullineuxs proved beneficial. The last harvest of the 2021 vintage yielded 3.8 tons, compared to half a ton in the first harvest.

The grapes produce earthy, mineral wines with structure and rich fruit flavors. The limited harvest was initially only used for the Leeu Passant Dry Red, which was released with the 2015 vintage, but since the 2017 vintage, the site has also been featured as a single vineyard with the Leeu Passant Basson Vineyard Cinsault.