South Australian wine producer, Château Tanunda, has joined Francs de Pied, an international association advocating for the preservation of the world’s rare old, ungrafted vineyards – many of which remain in the Barossa Valley.
Old, ungrafted vines are exceptionally rare, mainly due to the vineyard pest phylloxera, which wiped out over 90 per cent of Europe’s original vines in the second half of the 19th century. Australia also experienced the effects of phylloxera at a similar time, but contamination was contained to Victoria and New South Wales, with no cases in South Australia.
Not only have these South Australian old vines survived the phylloxera outbreak, but also world depressions, droughts, and the vine-pull schemes of the 1980s that saw vignerons paid to remove unused vineyards.
The resulting wines from these old vine sites have been widely acknowledged as having a different quality compared to younger, grafted vines. In particular, they are noted for their unmatched depth and character and overall mouthfeel.
This is due to their intricate root systems that extend deep – up to 20 metres (general vineyards reach just 1-2 metres) – into the soil to establish a strong reserve of minerals and nutrients. Additionally, these ungrafted vines only produce a small yield of fruit, adding to their distinction.
The Francs de Pied initiative aims to bring together caretakers of ungrafted, old vineyards to share knowledge and provide education to the greater wine community on the status and importance of these rare sites.
Château Tanunda proprietor, John Geber, said the Barossa Valley is home to some of the world’s oldest vines, and the company has been on an ever-evolving journey to spread awareness of the special place these vines have in the winemaking industry and the quality they dispel.
“By joining Francs de Pied, we want to advocate for the wider Barossa region and the important role it plays in old vine winemaking and viticulture,” said Geber.
“We hope by championing the prestige and rarity of these Barossa old vines on the global stage, it will help educate the industry and consumers on the premium wines we are making and why these sites are so vital to protect.”
Château Tanunda is one of only two Australian caretakers to join Francs de Pied, alongside Nicolau Estate in Queensland’s Granite Belt. Wineries from Europe, Chile, Dominican Republic, Lebanon, Turkey and the United States are also members of Francs de Pied.
Along with the advocacy and education of old, ungrafted vines, Francs de Pied is also working to preserve the 8000 years of cultural heritage and agrobiological biodiversity of these sites, through the replanting of the ancient indigenous varieties without grafting, and applying to UNESCO to have some sites heritage-listed.
Francs de Pied is also working to establish itself as a brand, to help identify wines that are crafted from the cultivation of ungrafted vines and ensure traceability and certification. John says this certification is not only a great step in protecting the uniqueness of the Barossa and its old vine heritage for generations to come, but also for the wider premium Australian wine story.
“I believe one of the biggest challenges for the Australian wine industry is communicating its presence in the premium wine space in markets such as the US, Europe and UK where we are perhaps better known for wines at the lower end of the price scale,” explains John.
“Sharing the mission of Francs de Pied and our role here in the Barossa as custodians of a strong number of these sites will help push this premium wine story. Having the chance to label our wines with this certification too will be a great help in communicating this story to our consumers both internationally and closer to home here in Australia."
In the Barossa, over 92 per cent of vineyard sites are grown on their own roots which is a staggering amount for a region. These are categorised into Ancestor Vines (125+ years of age); Centenarian Vines (100+ years of age); Survivor Vines (70+ years of age) and Old Vines (35+ years of age) and cover varietals of Riesling, Semillon, Grenache, Mataro, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Just recently at the Barossa Wine Show there were 56 Centenarian vine wines submitted, and the introduction of a Centenarian Vineyard Trophy to the line-up. These endeavours are part of a larger education piece on the benefits of sites with their own roots versus root stock, with local Barossa winery Yalumba also doing work towards this in their own nursery.
Château Tanunda’s Old Vine Expressions range is a showcase of its own old vine sites. The range features the 150 Year Old Vines Grenache, 100 Year Old Vines Shiraz and Semillon, 50 Year Old Vines Shiraz and Cabernet, plus two recent additions of the Old Vine Shiraz and Cabernet Shiraz which are sourced from 35-year-old vines.
Food & Drink Business spoke with Château Tanunda managing director, Michelle Geber, earlier this year about wine export trends.
