What are the oldest grape vines in the world?

Posted byMitchPosted inUncategorized

Whenever it comes to superlatives of ‘oldest/fastest/longest/biggest’ there are many grey zones and surprises.

In winemaking: a big surprise is that the oldest continually producing vineyards are mostly from the ‘new world’.

The oldest vines in the world that are used to make wine is a vineyard of the Žametovka variety growing in the town of Maribor in Slovenia. It has been scientifically dated to be more than 400 years old, and continuously producing.

And while Europe has been growing grapes for and making wine for the longest, the root eating phylloxera bug almost guarantees that none of the vines growing today are older than 100 years old. It is hard to imagine, but there was a time in the 1880s where there was a distinct possibility that Phylloxera would completely wipe out Europe for grape production and not make wine again.

This means some of the oldest examples of vineyards for the most common varieties grow in places where phylloxera did not reach, and one of the greatest is the Barossa Valley in South Australia.

Château Tanunda in the Barossa Valley champions old vine vineyards that are 50, 100 and over 150 years old

The Barossa is reported to be home to no less than six ‘oldest’ vineyards in the world for common wine grapes:

Oldest Shiraz vines: Langmeil Freedom Vineyard. Planted 1842 in Tanunda

Oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines: Penfolds Kalimna Block 42. Planted 1888

Oldest Mourvedre/Mataro vines: Hewitson Old Garden vineyard. Planted 1853

Oldest Grenache: Cirillo Grenache. Planted 1850 in Lights Pass

Oldest Semillon: Cirillo Semillon. Planted 1850

Oldest Malbec: Stonegarden Vineyard. Planted 1858 in Eden Valley

Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon

This can surprise many as the image for Australian wine outside of Australia tends to be ‘young and fun’, and not on the serious side of the wine business. But its not just the Barossa. Tahbilk in the Nagambie Lakes lays claim to the oldest Marsanne vineyards in the world (planted 1927), and Tyrells in the Hunter Valley have possibly the oldest Chardonnay vines in their HVD vineyard planted in 1908.

The oldest Zinfandel is in California. South Africa the oldest Chenin Blanc.

However, winemaking in Europe goes back centuries and Phylloxera didn’t wipe out everywhere. There must be more challengers for the oldest examples of common varieties.

Please share in the comments any ones you know of!