There’s a vine growing in Stellenbosch that was planted in 1947. World War Two had just ended. Singapore was still a British colony. And someone, on a small family farm in the Cape, pressed a cutting into the red earth and walked away.
That vine is still producing today.
It is one of the wines you can taste at Singapore's first Old Vine Festival, hosted by Message in a Bottle from 26 to 28 June 2026. But before we get there, let's start at the beginning — because while you may have come across the term "old vine" before, what it means in South Africa is something quite specific. Here, old vines are not measured in centuries. They are defined by something more precise and arguably more meaningful: a verified planting date, certified to an exact year. That level of traceability is rare anywhere in the world — and it changes what the term actually guarantees when you see it on a bottle.
What makes a vine “old”?
In the wine world, a vine officially qualifies as “old” at 35 years of age. That’s the threshold recognised by the Old Vine Project in South Africa, and the same benchmark now officially adopted in 2024 by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine — the global governing body for the wine industry. This wasn’t an arbitrary number. It was the culmination of years of research and international collaboration, and it represents the point at which a vine’s biology begins to change in meaningful ways.
As a vine ages, its root system grows deeper — sometimes reaching several metres into the earth in search of water and nutrients. Because it no longer needs to establish itself, it stops putting energy into producing large volumes of fruit. Instead, it concentrates everything it has into smaller clusters of more intense, more complex grapes.
Old vines produce less. But what they produce is rarer, more layered, and carries something younger vines simply cannot replicate: a direct connection to the soil, the climate, and the history of the place where they grow.
So why are they disappearing?
This is where the story gets complicated.
Older vines are, commercially speaking, inconvenient. They yield less fruit per hectare, which means less wine, which means less revenue for the farmer. In an industry where margins are tight and land is valuable, the temptation to rip out an old vineyard and replant with younger, higher-yielding vines is real — and it happens more often than most wine lovers realise.
Today, only approximately 6% of vineyards in South Africa qualify for old vine status. Every year, more are lost.
Enter the Old Vine Project
The journey to save South Africa’s old vines began in 2002, when a vineyard manager named Rosa Kruger started documenting what remained. She understood something that much of the industry had overlooked: these old vineyards were not just productive assets. They were living archives — of genetics, of history, of place.
“Old vines are a wonderful source of knowledge for scientific research in our understanding of plants and the ageing process of vines, especially in this challenging time of climate change.” — Rosa Kruger
The Old Vine Project was formally established in 2016, with seed funding from the Rupert Foundation, built on the foundation she had laid. Today it has over 130 members, registers more than 350 certified heritage vineyard wines per year, and has seen certified old vine hectares in South Africa grow from 2,952 in 2016 to 5,417 in 2025. The momentum is real.
What does “certified” actually mean?
When you see the Certified Heritage Vineyards seal on a bottle, it tells you something specific: the exact year these vines were planted has been independently verified. South Africa has a unique advantage here — vineyard plant dates can be traced through the South African Wine Industry Information Systems (SAWIS) database all the way back to 1900. This level of traceability is extraordinary by global standards, and it makes South Africa’s old vine certification among the most credible in the world.
The seal is a world-first. It certifies not just the wine, but the vineyard it came from — the planting date, the site, and the winemaking standards applied.
“It’s no surprise to me that a significant number of my Wines and Winemakers of the Year have an Old Vine connection, confirming how vital the Old Vine Project is to the South African wine industry and why the country’s heritage vineyards are so unique.” — Tim Atkin MW
What does old vine actually taste like?
Scientists at Stellenbosch University have been working to answer exactly that. Research comparing old vine and young vine Chenin Blanc wines found clear, measurable differences — not just in aroma and flavour, but at a chemical level. Separate research into old vine Pinotage found that older vines produce fruit with significantly higher acidity and lower sugar levels than younger vines from the same vineyard — meaning lower alcohol, better balance, and greater longevity in the glass.
The economics back this up too. Research by Winetech, the University of Cape Town and the UCT Graduate School of Business found that vine age has a direct influence on wine price in South Africa — with an estimated R2.96 added in value for every year a vineyard has been in the ground.
Old vines are not just a romantic concept. They are measurably, scientifically, economically different.
Why Singapore, why now?
South Africa holds the most certified old vine hectares of any country in the world. The varieties that dominate? Chenin Blanc leads with 2,558 hectares, followed by Colombard with 618 — and smaller but significant plots of Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage and more.
At the Old Vine Festival, you’ll taste wines from vineyards across five decades — the 1940s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s — representing varieties, regions and producers most Singapore wine lovers have never encountered. Some of these wines were brought in specifically for the festival and will not be available after it ends.
This is not a tasting. It’s a conversation with history.
The Old Vine Festival takes place 26–28 June 2026. Three experiences: a wine dinner, a walk-around tasting, and a masterclass. Find out more and secure your participation while tickets are still available.
