South African Psychiatry - February 2019

WINE FORUM
Rewind Raats; does it make a difference? It’s a field
thick with romance. ‘Old vines often reflect the lives
and the culture of the people – the fishermen on the
coast, the sheep farmers inland, the wheat farmers of
the Swartland and the fruit farmers of Piekenierskloof
– and are often preserved by sentiment rather than
budgets,’ avers Kruger. ‘Old vines and the wines they
make are a monument to the farmer’s love of his land.’
Marco Ventrella, head viticulturist at KWV, offers a
scientific perspective. It’s akin to human ageing. As
the vine matures it stores more carbohydrate, making
it more resistant to adverse (especially drought)
conditions due to accumulated reserves. The grapes
reach ‘phenolic ripeness’ – when flavour compounds
are fully developed – earlier. Fruity exuberance and
obvious varietal character may be the preserve of
youth, but wine from more venerable stock has fuller
texture, is better structured, with greater intensity,
palate-weight, and complexity.
BUT IS IT WORTH IT? THE LIFE CYCLE OF
A VINE IS SUCH THAT ITS FRUIT DON’T
CONVERT TO POTABLE WINE FOR THE
FIRST FEW YEARS, THEY GROW INTO
QUALITY PRODUCTION BY ABOUT 10 TO
15 YEARS, AND THEN, ON THE OTHER SIDE
OF 20 TO 30 YEARS OF AGE PRODUCTION
FALLS OFF.
Selling grapes by the ton, a farmer will need to double
prices when yields halve. Or grub up the old vines
for new ones or alternative crops to stay financially
afloat. It’s the OVP’s aim to keep these 20-something
wines in the ground: ‘Encouraging “planting to grow
old”,’ as Morgenthal puts it.
In a University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch
collaboration, Jonathan Steyn and David Priilaid
constructed a hedonic pricing model to investigate
how wine price-setters in the supply chain prioritise
old vine cues, relative to more conventional cues of
worth. ‘In addition to the contribution of established
cues such as aggregate ratings, exemplar brands,
prototypical varieties, and origin, our study confirmed
that vine age contributes significantly to wine price.’
Steyn added that, ‘The introduction of the certified
heritage vineyard seal is an important step and is
likely to sharpen and further shape the category
boundaries globally.’
VinPro, the local wine research body, reports 37% of
wine growers are operating at a loss, 2% break even,
47% make a low profit; only 14% are profitable. A
wine farm needs to generate R40-60 000/ha to be
sustainable, which means making wine that can sell
at R300 a bottle. With 80% of all old vines within the
cooperative system, the OVP is a potential leg up for
that sector into the premium wine market.
The L’Ormarins Old Bush Vine Chenin Blanc was first planted in 1964 on the
Paardeberg Mountain between Malmesbury and Paarl. In 2007/8 these old
bush vines were replanted on the north facing decomposed granite slopes
of L’Ormarins in Franschhoek, where they now produce a single varietal wine.
Photo: Gideon Nel
La Colline, Franschhoek. Semillon planted in 1936
Bellevue Wine Estate Pinotage, 1953
Anthonij Rupert Wines Henk Laing Vineyard, Semillon, Planted 1956
www.oldvineproject.co.za
Andre Morgenthal
Project Manager
andre@oldvineproject.co.za
0826583883
David Swingler is a writer and taster for Platter’s South African Wine Guide over 21 years to
date. Dave Swingler has over the years consulted to restaurants, game lodges and convention
centres, taught wine courses and contributed to radio, print and other media. A psychiatrist
by day, he’s intrigued by language in general, and its application to wine in particular.
Correspondence: swingler@telkomsa.net
SOUTH AFRICAN PSYCHIATRY ISSUE 18 2019 * 75