Plant to grow old

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

Vineyards
Vineyards

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

Vineyards Overview

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 4879 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

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Citrusdalberg

132 ha

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Citrusdalberg

132 ha

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Swartland

928 ha

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Tulbagh

101 ha

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Breedekloof

306 ha

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Darling

128 ha

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Worcester

122 ha

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Robertson

191 ha

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Wellington

322 ha

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Paarl

587 ha

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Franschhoek

136 ha

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Stellenbosch

1111 ha

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Cape Town

119 ha

TOP 12 WINE OF ORIGIN DISTRICTS WITH THE MOST OLD VINES

Hectares of Old Vine

PER WINE OF ORIGIN DISTRICT IN SOUTH AFRICA

W.O. DistrictHectares
STELLENBOSCH 1111
SWARTLAND 928
PAARL 587
WELLINGTON 322
BREEDEKLOOF 306
ROBERTSON 191
FRANSCHHOEK 136
CITRUSDAL MOUNTAIN 132
DARLING 128
WORCESTER 122
CAPE TOWN 119
TULBAGH 101
CENTRAL ORANGE RIVER 87
LUTZVILLE VALLEY 52
OVERBERG 25
CALITZDORP 21
WALKER BAY 19
CITRUSDAL VALLEY 14
ELGIN 11
SWELLENDAM 10
OTHER447
TOTAL4870
Hectares of Old Vine

PER CULTIVAR IN SOUTH AFRICA

CultivarHectares
CHENIN BLANC 2475
COLOMBAR 530
SAUVIGNON BLANC 459
MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE 270
CINSAUT 161
PINOTAGE 141
CHARDONNAY 103
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 88
PALOMINO (FRANSDRUIF) 79
CROUCHEN 75
SEMILLON67
MERLOT 42
CLAIRETTE BLANCHE 41
SHIRAZ 38
TINTA BAROCCA 37
RIESLING 35
MUSCAT BLANC 31
PINOT NOIR 18
CARIGNAN 18
GRENACHE (RED) 18
GEWURZTRAMINER 18
BUKETTRAUBE 17
MUSCADEL (RED) 14
SOUZAO 11
FERNAO PIRES 10
HARSLEVELU 9
RUBY CABERNET 8
THERONA 7
PINOT GRIS 7
KANAAN 6
CHENEL 5
WINE GRAPE VARIETY 4
CABERNET FRANC 4
EMERALD RIESLING 4
MUSCAT OTTONEL 3
RAISIN BLANC 3
GAMAY NOIR 3
PEDRO LUIS 2
UGNI BLANC 2
HANEPOOT (RED) 2
CINSAUT GRIS 2
MORIO MUSCAT 1,3
PINOT BLANC 1,3
MALBEC 0,44
TEMPRANILLO 0,3
TINTA FRANCISCA 0,3
TOTAL4870
Hectares of Old Vine

IN SOUTH AFRICA

NumberPlant YearCultivarHectaresW.O. District
11900CINSAUT0.25WELLINGTON
21900MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE0.35SWARTLAND
31900MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE0.76BREEDEKLOOF
41902MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE0.04FRANSCHHOEK
51902SEMILLON 0.69FRANSCHHOEK
61905SEMILLON 4FRANSCHHOEK
71905SEMILLON 0.82FRANSCHHOEK
81908MUSKADEL (ROOI)0.42ROBERTSON
91910MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE0.14BREEDEKLOOF
101922SEMILLON 0.52SWARTLAND
111926MUSKADEL (ROOI)0.15ROBERTSON
121927PALOMINO (FRANSDRUIF) 1.11ROBERTSON
131928PALOMINO (FRANSDRUIF) 1.21ROBERTSON
141932CINSAUT1.76FRANSCHHOEK
151932MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE1.28CALITZDORP
161932PALOMINO (FRANSDRUIF) 1.43ROBERTSON
171932SEMILLON 0.47FRANSCHHOEK
181933MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE0.73WELLINGTON
191936SEMILLON 4.25FRANSCHHOEK
201942CHENIN BLANC 1.37STELLENBOSCH
211942MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE0.3BREEDEKLOOF
221942SEMILLON 0.67FRANSCHHOEK
231947CHENIN BLANC 1.55STELLENBOSCH
241947PALOMINO (FRANSDRUIF) 0.15CALITZDORP
251947PALOMINO (FRANSDRUIF) 0.13CALITZDORP
261950CINSAUT0.8STELLENBOSCH
271950MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE0.25SWARTLAND
281950PINOTAGE0.47STELLENBOSCH
291951CINSAUT 0.95WELLINGTON
301952MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE0.1BREEDEKLOOF
311952MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE0.13BREEDEKLOOF
321952MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE0.25OVERBERG
331952CHENIN BLANC1.2WELLINGTON
341952GRENACHE0.61SWARTLAND
351952GRENACHE0.62SWARTLAND
361952PALOMINO1.08PAARL
371952PALOMINO0.53PAARL
381952CINSAUT0.68PAARL
391952CINSAUT0.77PAARL
401952CINSAUT0.69PAARL
411952CINSAUT0.7PAARL
421952CINSAUT4.88STELLENBOSCH

“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