In episode 239 of The Drinking Hour, David Kermode heads to the Old Vine Conference to meet with Jancis Robinson OBE MW, Sarah Abbot MW, Alder Yarrow from the Old Vine Registry, and viticulturalist Rosa Kruger.
Beginning as a lockdown project that has now become a global movement, the Old Vine Conference was conceived as a campaign to recognise the cultural and historical significance of old vines whilst also highlighting their value to modern day winemaking through better quality wines and resilience to climate change. The gathering coincided with the release of two separate scientific studies looking at the ageing potential of wines made by old vine Garnacha, to the release of a new scientific method for dating old vineyards.
To kick off this exciting episode Jancis Robinson explains what make old vines so special – with a focus on concentration and palate. Alder Yarrow then talks about the founding of the Old Vine Registry as a site to document old vines across the globe for everyone to access. South African viticulturalist Rosa Kruger has long valued old vines throughout her work and was one of the first to understand their potential – she speaks to Kermode about her journey into protecting and championing historic vines. Lastly Sarah Abbott MW, co-founder of the Old Vine Conference, discusses how she thought this year’s large two day event went.
Hearing from a whole host of viewpoints and experts on the field of old vines, listen to this special episode now to learn more about this fascinating subject.
