Old Vine Project (OVP): South Africa's Certified Heritage Vine Initiative

The journey that became the Old Vine Project began in 2002 when ex-lawyer and viticultural consultant Rosa Kruger, inspired by old vines she had encountered in Europe, started seeking out and documenting South Africa's heritage vineyards on foot and by car. By 2010, winemakers including Eben Sadie, Chris Alheit, and the Mullineuxs had joined the search, and in 2014 Kruger released the first website cataloguing old vineyards using SAWIS data. In 2016, Johann Rupert agreed to fund the initiative formally, and the Old Vine Project was incorporated as a non-profit company with André Morgenthal as project manager. The world-first Certified Heritage Vineyards seal, displaying each vineyard's planting date, followed in 2018, and the OVP has since been featured in the World Atlas of Wine and cited by the OIV in its landmark 2024 resolution on old vines.

• Rosa Kruger began scouting and recording old vine sites from 2002, many previously unknown even to their owners
• Formally launched as a non-profit company in 2016 with seed funding from the Rupert Foundation and Johann Rupert
• Certified Heritage Vineyards seal introduced in 2018, the first certification of its kind anywhere in the world
• The OIV's Resolution OIV-VITI 703-2024 (November 2024) formally recognised the 35-year threshold for old vines, explicitly citing the OVP's contributions

Old vine sites are distributed across South Africa's Western Cape, with Stellenbosch holding the largest registered area at 958 hectares, followed by Swartland at 778 hectares and Paarl at 483 hectares. Stellenbosch's varied soils, including decomposed granite and sandstone, support some of the Cape's oldest Chenin Blanc and Pinotage blocks. Swartland's dryland bush vine culture, low rainfall, and schist and granite soils have made it a heartland for heritage Cinsault, Grenache, and Chenin Blanc. Further afield, the West Coast regions of Piekenierskloof and Skurfberg hold extraordinary old vine Grenache and Chenin plantings that first caught Rosa Kruger's attention in the early 2000s. The SAWIS database, with records extending to 1900, means planting dates can be cross-referenced with exceptional precision, giving South African old vine certification a level of traceability unmatched globally.

• Stellenbosch leads registered old vine area at 958 ha, with Swartland second at 778 ha and Paarl third at 483 ha
• Piekenierskloof and Skurfberg on the West Coast are home to rare old vine Grenache and ancient Chenin bush vines
• Dryland bush vines, predominantly unirrigated, are the dominant vine-training system across registered OVP sites
• SAWIS records dating to 1900 give South Africa a unique global advantage in verifying and certifying vine age

Chenin Blanc is by far the most significant OVP variety, accounting for roughly 51.8% of registered old vine hectares. South Africa's Chenin has been the country's most planted variety since the 20th century, originally cultivated for brandy under the KWV cooperative system, which inadvertently preserved extensive old vine material. These aged bush vine Chenins produce wines of distinctive textural richness, stone fruit concentration, and incisive acidity. Cinsault and Pinotage each account for approximately 5% of registered old vine area, with Cinsault notable for its elegant red fruit character and silk-fine tannins from low-yielding ancient plots. Semillon, Palomino, Tinta Barroca, and Sauvignon Blanc round out a diverse old vine portfolio spanning some 39 to 48 distinct varieties, including rare field blends and heritage selections now extinct in their countries of origin.

• Chenin Blanc: approximately 51.8% of registered old vine hectares; aged examples deliver stone fruit richness, waxy texture, and mineral precision
• Cinsault: approximately 5% of registered area; old vine examples show red berry elegance with fine-grained tannins and natural freshness
• Semillon, Palomino, Tinta Barroca, and Pinotage all feature in OVP registrations, with some clones now confirmed extinct in their European regions of origin
• InterLoire collaboration confirmed that certain South African old vine Chenin Blanc selections are genetically extinct in France, with cuttings now preserved in a clonal garden in the Loire

The OVP membership reads as a roll call of South Africa's most acclaimed producers. Sadie Family Wines (Eben Sadie) pioneered old vine wines from 2006 with the Mev. Kirsten Chenin Blanc, made from a Stellenbosch vineyard planted between 1907 and 1920, considered the oldest Chenin Blanc vineyard in the country. Chris Alheit's Cartology and Radio Lazarus from old vine Chenin Blanc and Semillon, and Mullineux's soil-specific old vine Chenin Blanc series from Swartland, have each driven international acclaim. Ken Forrester's FMC Chenin Blanc is sourced from unirrigated bush vines planted in 1974 just 6 km from the Atlantic coast in Stellenbosch. AA Badenhorst, David and Nadia Sadie, Anthonij Rupert Wines, Reyneke, Boekenhoutskloof, and Kaapzicht are among the broader membership representing the full stylistic diversity of South Africa's heritage vineyards.

• Sadie Family Wines: Mev. Kirsten Chenin Blanc from a Stellenbosch vineyard planted 1907 to 1920, one of the world's most celebrated old vine wines
• Ken Forrester Wines: FMC Chenin Blanc from 1974 bush vines, Stellenbosch, within 6 km of the Atlantic Ocean
• Mullineux: soil-specific old vine Chenin Blanc bottlings from Swartland, including Granite, Schist, and Iron terroir expressions
• Alheit Vineyards: Cartology from old vine Chenin Blanc and Semillon; Radio Lazarus from ancient Chenin planted across the Western Cape

OVP certification is grounded in the SAWIS vineyard database, which records South African vine plantings back to 1900 and allows planting dates to be independently verified. Producers who are OVP members may apply for the Certified Heritage Vineyards seal, which is affixed to bottles as a neck sticker showing the vineyard's actual planting date. The seal operates alongside but separately from South Africa's Wine of Origin (WO) appellation system, adding a layer of provenance specific to vine age. The OVP also trains vineyard workers in specialised old vine pruning techniques in partnership with FELCO Africa, and has developed a Certified Heritage Vineyards Grape Trading Platform to connect old vine growers with winemakers at fair prices, directly supporting the economic viability of retaining heritage vineyards. The motto of the project is 'Plant to grow old', encouraging current growers to consider long-term viticultural stewardship.

• The Certified Heritage Vineyards seal, the first of its kind globally, shows the planting date of the vineyard on every qualifying bottle
• Vine age is verified against the SAWIS database, independent of producer claims, with records extending to 1900
• The OVP operates as an NPC (non-profit company) alongside but separate from the Wine and Spirit Board's WO system
• A Grape Trading Platform connects registered old vine growers with producers at premium prices, making heritage viticulture economically sustainable

South Africa's OVP is widely regarded as the world's most developed old vine certification scheme, praised by figures including Jancis Robinson MW and Sarah Abbott MW of the Old Vine Conference for integrating viticulture, certification, marketing, education, and tastings into one coherent model. The OVP has been featured in Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson's World Atlas of Wine and has driven significant international awareness of South African heritage wines. Research collaborations are ongoing: InterLoire has confirmed that some South African Chenin Blanc clonal selections are extinct in France and has taken cuttings to safeguard this genetic material in the Loire. Older vines are also the subject of climate resilience research, with their deep root systems offering natural advantages under drought conditions. In November 2024, the OIV adopted Resolution OIV-VITI 703-2024 formally defining old vines globally, explicitly recognising the OVP's contributions.

• Featured in Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson's World Atlas of Wine as an exemplar of old vine certification
• The OIV adopted Resolution OIV-VITI 703-2024 in November 2024, citing the OVP as a key contributor to defining old vines internationally
• InterLoire has taken cuttings of South African Chenin Blanc clones extinct in France for preservation in a Loire clonal garden
• The OVP has established the Old Vine Academy, an online learning platform for producers, trade, and media, and runs ongoing pruning training with FELCO Africa