In 2016 that Rosa Kruger and André Morgenthal started The Old Vine Project (OVP) in South Africa to find and care for old, sometimes abandoned, vineyards and to draw attention to the value of old vines.
Today, OVP has 130 members who each year produce over 250 different wines from Certified Heritage Vineyards (CHV).
Another exciting project is now underway, namely the launch of virus-free clones, Heritage Selection clones. Viruses are a problem in wine regions worldwide and have been a huge problem in South Africa. The vines die prematurely, and the quality of the grapes can also be affected.
OVP develops these clones together with Vititec, a well-known nursery in Paarl. The aim is to get clones that are guaranteed to be virus-free and which can therefore grow old and be used for a long time to produce quality wines. Cuttings are taken from selected, exceptional vineyard plots and “cleaned” of any viruses through a process called “heat therapy”, a kind of heat treatment.
Read more about the project here OldVineProject.
Travel: Come on a wine tour to South Africa with BKWine.
