South Africa has a rich wine history, dating back to 1659, and boasts some of the oldest viticultural soils in the world.

South Africa has a rich wine history, dating back to 1659, and boasts some of the oldest viticultural soils in the world.

The interaction between these ancient soils, the variety of terroirs found around the Cape, and the vibrant people who have cared for these vineyards over the centuries, provides us with a proud platform from which the OVP has emerged and strives to preserve.

South Africa has a total of 5159 hectares of vineyards that are 35 years and older (Ref: SAWIS, 2023 In between familiar names and landscapes, are diverse soils, varying landscapes, different proximity to the Sea, and vastly different median temperatures and slope aspects.

If you are a wine or grape producer or a member of the media requiring more detailed information, please contact us directly at info@oldvineproject.co.za

TOP 10 WINE OF ORIGIN DISTRICTS WITH THE MOST OLD VINES

PER WINE OF ORIGIN DISTRICT IN SOUTH AFRICA

W.O. District	Hectares
STELLENBOSCH	1164,22
SWARTLAND	933,5
PAARL	643,66
WELLINGTON	355,3
BREEDEKLOOF	348,39
ROBERTSON	181,73
FRANSCHHOEK	147,71
CITRUSDAL MOUNTAIN	142,49
CAPE TOWN	130,73
DARLING	129,75
CENTRAL ORANGE RIVER	128,16
WORCESTER	117,68
TULBAGH	109,64
LUTZVILLE VALLEY	57,43
OVERBERG	26,6
CALITZDORP	20,81
WALKER BAY	18,92
ELGIN	14,38
CITRUSDAL VALLEY	13,81
SWELLENDAM	1,92
OTHER	471,9
TOTAL	5159

PER CULTIVAR IN SOUTH AFRICA

Cultivar	Hectares
CHENIN BLANC	2530,15
COLOMBAR	590,6
SAUVIGNON BLANC	461,6
MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE	296,46
CINSAUT	178,24
PINOTAGE	147,12
CABERNET SAUVIGNON	130,9
CHARDONNAY	118,93
PALOMINO	78,63
CROUCHEN	76,47
MERLOT	72,09
SEMILLON	71,79
SHIRAZ	42,28
CLAIRETTE BLANCHE	39,62
TINTA BAROCCA	34,09
RIESLING	33,36
MUSCAT BLANC	31,99
RUBY CABERNET	30,45
PINOT NOIR	25,82
CARIGNAN	18,18
GRENACHE (RED)	18,01
GEWURZTRAMINER	17,76
BUKETTRAUBE	17,07
MUSCADEL (RED)	14,99
FERNAO PIRES	11,82
THERONA	8,57
HARSLEVELU	8,51
PINOT GRIS	6,95
EMERALD RIESLING	6,42
CHENEL	5,75
KANAAN	5,63
UGNI BLANC	4,98
WINE GRAPE VARIETY	3,94
CABERNET FRANC	3,84
RAISIN BLANC	3,31
GAMAY NOIR	3,01
PEDRO	2,08
HANEPOOT (RED)	1,82
CINSAUT GRIS	1,5
PINOT BLANC	1,3
VILLARD BLANC	1,16
MALBEC	0,44
SOUZAO	0,3
TEMPRANILLO	0,3
TINTA FRANCISCA	0,3
CINSAUT BLANC	0,2
TOTAL	5159

IN SOUTH AFRICA

Number	Plant Year	Cultivar	Hectares	W.O. District
1	1900	CINSAUT	0.25	WELLINGTON
2	1900	MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE	0.35	SWARTLAND
3	1900	MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE	0.76	BREEDEKLOOF
4	1902	MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE	0.04	FRANSCHHOEK
5	1902	SEMILLON	0.69	FRANSCHHOEK
6	1905	SEMILLON	4	FRANSCHHOEK
7	1905	SEMILLON	0.82	FRANSCHHOEK
8	1908	MUSKADEL (ROOI)	0.42	ROBERTSON
9	1910	MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE	0.14	BREEDEKLOOF
10	1922	SEMILLON	0.52	SWARTLAND
11	1926	MUSCADEL (RED)	0,15	ROBERTSON
12	1927	PALOMINO	1,11	ROBERTSON
13	1928	PALOMINO	1,21	ROBERTSON
14	1932	SEMILLON	0,47	FRANSCHHOEK
15	1932	CINSAUT	1,76	FRANSCHHOEK
16	1932	PALOMINO	1,43	ROBERTSON
17	1932	MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE	1,28	CALITZDORP
18	1933	MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE	0,73	WELLINGTON
19	1936	SEMILLON	4,25	FRANSCHHOEK
20	1938	MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE	0,01	CAPE TOWN
21	1942	CHENIN BLANC	1,37	STELLENBOSCH
22	1942	SEMILLON	0,67	FRANSCHHOEK
23	1942	MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE	0,30	BREEDEKLOOF
24	1947	CHENIN BLANC	1,55	STELLENBOSCH
25	1947	PALOMINO	0,15	CALITZDORP
26	1947	PALOMINO	0,13	CALITZDORP
27	1950	CINSAUT	0,80	STELLENBOSCH
28	1950	MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE	0,25	SWARTLAND
29	1950	PINOTAGE	0,47	STELLENBOSCH
30	1951	CINSAUT	0,95	WELLINGTON

“OLD VINES ARE A WONDERFUL SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF PLANTS AND THE AGING PROCESS OF VINES, ESPECIALLY IN THIS CHALLENGING TIME OF CLIMATE CHANGE.” – Rosa Kruger

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