Old vines generally make better wines. With age, yields naturally decline leading to more concentrated grapes that can result in amazingly complex wines. Australia’s Barossa Valley consists of the world’s oldest surviving pre-Phylloxera Cabernet and Shiraz vineyards. The Aussie’s were fortunate enough to avoid the kind of devastation Europe endured in the late 19th century from the Phylloxera plague.

The story of the Old Vine Gardens in the Barossa has somewhat of a chequered past but now possesses an optimistic future. Their initial survival is a tribute to the pioneering grape growers, however, as these precious and rare Old Vine Gardens were being grubbed into extinction in the 1980s. The introduction of the “vine pull scheme” after the wine industry suffered a significant decline and growers needed help to get them through troubled times, saw many Old Vine Gardens sold off and bulldozed.

If it was not for some like minded Barossans who promoted their uniqueness in the world of wine and were able to showcase the virtues of these wines that were made from these Old Vine Gardens, almost all would have been lost.

The oldest surviving pre-Phylloxera vines belong to Penfolds and Langmeil respectively. All at Langmeil are convinced the best way to ensure the unique qualities of the Old Vine Gardens is to continue to make and showcase wines from these vineyards. Hence the Langmeil Old Vine Garden wines are vinified and bottled separately to produce wines that are as true to vine and vineyard as they are unique.

As the wine trade, media and consumers continue to appreciate and understand what the Barossa and other local regions can offer the world with wines made from old vines, there is hope that the absolute rareness of these wines will also be valued. Very few other regions can offer pre-Phylloxera vines grown on their own roots that not only survive but continue to thrive. This is true history in a glass that is irreplaceable and non-replicable. To that end, Langmeil is part of a movement to create an official register of Old Vine Gardens.

For an old vine wine, click here to view Langmeil’s Orphan Bank Shiraz from 100-140 year old vines, and keep on the look out for a new arrival to the Curious range. The Freedom 1843 Shiraz from 165 year old vines is on its way.

Information sourced from Langmeil’s “The old Vine Garden Release”. Picture obtained from www.langmeilwinery.com.au