Château Tanunda is continuing to advocate for the preservation of the world’s rare old, ungrafted vineyards by joining the international association Francs de Pied.
The 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.
“The Barossa Valley is home to some of the world’s oldest vines, and here at Château Tanunda, we have
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,” says proprietor John Geber.
“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. 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. ”
Along with the advocacy and education of old, ungrafted vines, Francs de Pied is also working to
preserve the 8,000 years of cultural heritage and agrobiological biodiversity of these sites.
This is being done through the replanting of the ancient indigenous varieties without grafting, and also
applying to UNESCO to have some sites heritage-listed.
Old, ungrafted vines are exceptionally rare, mainly due phylloxera, which wiped out more than 90 percent 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.
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,” says 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, more than 92 percent 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.
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.
“We hope our work with Francs de Pied will encourage more conversations in the Barossa and across
the country on the importance of old vines and how we can communicate it to position Australian
wines in the premium space,” John says.
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