Preserving Rioja’s Old Vine Heritage for a More Sustainable Future
Preserving Rioja’s Old Vine Heritage for a More Sustainable Future
-Natalia Morrison, MSc DipWSET SWS IWS
For decades, the author of this post, Natalia Morrison, has been captivated by the deeply rooted, ancient trees and vines living around us. She currently works in Hong Kong as a wine educator where she also enjoys studying Traditional Chinese Medicine; exploring unique, local neighbourhoods/wine bars; and playing mahjong. This report was originally submitted to the Rioja Wine Academy in January, 2024 as the final step in completing the Certified Rioja Educator qualification.
A traditional old vine planting in MacRobert and Canals’ Barranco del San Ginés vineyard (Rioja Alavesa) embodying biodiversity and sustainability (Photo courtesy: Natalia Morrison)
There’s something about the quiet strength and tenacity of old vines that commands respect. Not only because they’ve survived but because, in many ways, they’ve gotten better. And it’s precisely because they have been able to become who they are over time that old vines are seen as the foundation of long-term sustainability plans for the world’s wine regions, including Rioja. Let me explain. But first, what is an “old vine” and what is “sustainability”?
While there’s no globally-recognized legal definition of “old vine” , there are a few regional classifications. In its “Old Vine Project”, South Africa defines “Old Vines” as those ≥35 years old while Barossa Valley, through its “Old Vine Charter”, separates old vines into four levels also beginning at ≥35 years. Lodi’s “Save the Old” has categories ranging from 50 to ≥100 years old while Chile, South America, Sonoma, McLaren Vale, the European Union (Francs de Pied) have old vine registries. The Old Vine Conference is the guardian of the Old Vine Registry data, much of which originated in Jancis Robinson’s Old Vine Register.
In Europe, DOCa Rioja is a leader in both attaching value to, and promoting the preservation of, old vines. In 2019, the DOCa defined “Old Vines/Vineyards” as those that are traceable to at least 35 years with “Centenary Vineyards” reaching at least 100 years and “Pre-Phylloxera Vineyards” being those planted <1900 AD.
To help preserve these vineyards, the DOCa’s latest strategic plan specifies that, by 2025, 20% of the vineyard area should be planted with vines >40 years old and adds that, by 2030, the definition of “Old Vineyards” will be changed from those at least 35 years old to those 50 years of age or older. What’s the significance of 35-year-old vines and why the change? Juan Carlos Sancha explains that vineyards older than 35 years are “traditional vineyards” – in other words, vineyards that were planted before massive re-plantings took place with a fewer number of less desirable clones - a fact that makes periodically re-visiting the minimum age for a vine to qualify as “old”, reasonable.
But the DOCa didn’t stop at simply defining legal label terms and setting targets. They moved on to plan and implement policy changes that would contribute to the preservation of the region’s old vines. But why exactly are old vines valued and what steps are being taken to preserve them? These are critical questions, but let’s come back to them after we talk about what sustainability, another key focus of DOCa Rioja’s current 5-year strategic plan, means.
In 2022, Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW was interviewed by the Rioja Wine Academy on “The True Meaning of Sustainability”. During the interview, he discussed the roots of sustainability and the challenges “true” sustainability entails. In 1987, he said, the United Nations defined sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The problem, Ballesteros says, is that natural laws tend towards increasing disorder which means we need to recognize that absolute sustainability doesn’t exist. Instead, our goal should be to minimize our negative impact on the planet and maximize positive outcomes. This, he goes on to explain, is a complex challenge. In the wine industry, for example, sustainability is not simply about individual producers using lighter weight bottles or farming organically. Instead, it needs to be a multi-sectoral, comprehensive regional effort involving all players working together. It considers such things as encouraging biodiversity (plants, microorganisms, animals, people), supporting soil quality, and enhancing both infrastructure and a responsible use of water. The proper stewardship of old, and new, vineyards can help address each of these.
Wait – we were talking about old vines, but the proper stewardship of new vineyards helps build a sustainable wine industry, too?
Young vines are carefully trained for the future at Finca Vistahermosa (Rioja Oriental) (Photo courtesy: Natalia Morrison)
Absolutely! Ballesteros says that the life expectancy of a well-tended vine is at least 300 years. As a result, the common practice of grubbing up healthy vines on good sites simply because they have started to yield less fruit (i.e. those about 25 years old) means that the investment of natural resources and human energy that went into helping these vines develop their permanent wood and root systems has been wasted – something contrary to sustainability.
Part of having a sustainable wine industry therefore involves not only preserving old vineyards but planting new vineyards with the goal of allowing them to grow old. Ballesteros says that DOCa Rioja is the first wine region in Spain to protect old vines and to train growers not only in how to work with them to keep them healthy and productive but also in how to plant vineyards that will be healthy and productive in 100 years’ time.
So why is the DOCa prioritizing the preservation of old vines for a sustainable wine industry?
The value of old vines in a sustainable wine industry is not only about not wasting the natural and human resources that went into them. In essence, old vines are a wine region’s personalized treasure – they not only contribute directly to sustainability through their own resilience but also inform ongoing sustainability efforts. They are also a powerful example of local living heritage and have high potential value as a wine category due to their quality and “stories”. Let’s briefly talk about each of these.
Dry-farmed, old bush vines are living proof of vines that are well-adapted to the area. Let’s start with variety. Javier Arizcuren, winemaker at Arizcuren Bodega y Viñedos in Sierra de Yerga, notes that even within DOCa Rioja different varieties are better adapted to different areas. For example, even though Tempranillo is now the dominant variety in Rioja Oriental, it wasn’t always and, in actual fact, is not very well-adapted to Rioja Oriental’s growing environment. Instead, he believes that Garnacha and Mazuelo are the best-suited varieties for the area adding that Garnacha and Mazuelo vines from pre-phylloxera vineyards in Rioja Oriental are “living museums” in terms of regional adaptation and should be recovered.
Roberto Vicente, Technical Director at Bodegas Izadi in Rioja Alavesa, cautions that with so many clones of each variety, the challenge will be to figure out which will be important in the future without losing the identity of Rioja. He also points out the importance of site for quality regardless of variety (or clone). Old vine Viura grown in Rioja Alavesa on the tops of slopes where the soil is poor and water is more limited, he says, produces beautiful fruit that can make ageable wines. This is in contrast to the same variety planted in the 1980s on fertile soils either close to rivers, or where potatoes or peppers were historically grown, which produces wines that are light and meant for early drinking.
So why are old vines so well-adapted to certain areas and capable of producing high quality wines? Unlike young vines which are still “exploring their environment” and producing large canopies to establish their trunks and root systems (often leading to lighter wines), old vines have gotten to know their environment and have adjusted themselves to suit it.
How does this happen? As they get older, vines develop deeper root systems and thicker trunks that allow them to store more carbohydrate than younger vines can. This trait gives older vines a strong start to the growing season. Deep roots also provide steady access not only to underground sources of water but also to a different range of soil nutrients. Interestingly, some research suggests that different micronutrients may turn on specific genes in the vine allowing assorted characteristics to be exhibited which may ultimately result in greater complexity in the wines,.
In an article on “The Science of Old Vines”, Jamie Goode PhD, describes two other theories regarding how old vines may adapt to their surroundings. The first relates to epigenetics. Essentially, environmental conditions can change proteins that surround the DNA. These changes then impact how a gene is expressed (or not) which, in turn, can help a plant adapt to its surroundings.
The other theory relates to what’s known as the “common mycelial network”. The ecosystem of soil is complex, living and impacts how a plant grows. Approximately 80% of plants are said to have symbiotic relationships with an underground network of fungi which entangle their roots. This relationship means that the reach of a plant’s roots is extended by the fungi while the fungi share in what the plant photosynthesizes. But the network also includes other, unrelated, plants. These plants share “alarm signals” if they are under attack by disease or a predator. This early warning gives other plants the opportunity of turning on their chemical defense systems to protect themselves. These theories may help explain not only how old vines survive and adapt to their surroundings over time and, as a result, why allowing vineyards this time is important, but also underline the importance of caring for the soil.
Why is adapting to your surroundings important? It’s not only about survival - it’s about growing old well. Like a child who has grown up in a healthy environment, vines become more naturally balanced with age. This means that, in a suitable site, the amount of fruit produced is appropriate and the canopy it produces is ideally matched to ripen this fruit without giving too much shading,. Achieving this kind of balance takes time, a grower’s energy, and an investment of natural vineyard resources - each of which is valued in a sustainable system. In other words, healthy, well-rooted, balanced vines capable of reliably ripening a reasonable crop of healthy, higher quality fruit are produced when vines are given time to adapt to their local ecosystems.
Juan Carlos Sancha’s Cerro la Isa vineyard is located in the coolest area of DOCa Rioja. The vineyard was planted with Garnacha Tinta in 1906 (Photo courtesy: Juan Carlos Sancha)
Juan Carlos Sancha, Professor of Oenology at the University of La Rioja as well as a grape grower and winemaker in the coldest area of DOCa Rioja, notes that old vineyards can be relatively densely planted – his village historically planted at about 5100 vines/ha. While individual old bush vines there are relatively low yielding, they are well-balanced with ample carbohydrate stores. Importantly, since they are more densely planted, the total yield per hectare may not be low – something important to growers which we’ll revisit a bit later.
At the same time, vineyards planted before the 1970’s tend to be more genetically diverse. This is because they were typically propagated through field-grafted massal selection instead of clonal selection which became popular after this point. Genetic diversity is critical for sustainability. It not only strengthens a vineyard’s resistance to disease but is also a source of variability – something which can help growers facing challenges such as those inherent in climate change. The Vine and Wine Research Institute (ICVV) in Rioja, for example, recently found an old vine Tempranillo clone with lower sugar and higher acid – both of which have clear benefits in a warmer ripening environment.
Similarly, finding old clones or forgotten varieties with longer ripening cycles is also of interest to help keep winemaking viable despite increasing temperatures. Old vineyards are treasure chests - classic homes of hardy field blends consisting of a wide assortment of white and red varieties, some currently approved and some not, with some of the latter being lost or forgotten varieties. The ICVV is using technology to identify later-ripening parcels of old vines which may be better able to cope with climate change and enhance long-term viability and sustainability of the wine industry in DOCa Rioja.
In these ways, old vineyards might prove to be important reservoirs of genetically-diverse, locally-adapted, “climate change-friendly” clones for the region.
Significantly, however, it’s not only the genetic diversity and adaptation of the old vines themselves that promote sustainability, but also the technology and practices surrounding them. On a tour of his old vine vineyards in Rioja Alavesa, Bryan MacRobert of MacRobert and Canals talked about how he tends his old vines.
Note the narrow rows in MacRobert and Canals’ Barranco del San Ginés Vineyard in Rioja Alavesa (Photo courtesy: Natalia Morrison)
In terms of soil protection and regeneration, older vineyards like MacRobert and Canals’ Paraje de la Virgen or Barranco del San Ginés are typically planted in narrow rows (often a mule-width apart or so) in a square pattern with cover crops between the vines. Why were they planted this way and why is it important? The narrow rows mean that, typically, animals rather than machines are used for plowing. This prevents soil from being compacted which makes it easier for roots to “breathe” and stay healthy. As Bryan hires a local farmer with mules to plow his old vineyards, MacRobert and Canals is also supporting the local community/wine industry’s overall sustainability.
The square planting pattern used in the old vineyards promotes efficient vine access to soil resources as well as helping to prevent erosion. Cover crops between vines also help prevent erosion while helping to keep roots cool and, once plowed under using an old-style mouldboard plow, act as green manure to enhance soil structure, aeration, fertility, and water-holding capacity. Together, the narrow rows, use of mules, square planting pattern and use of cover crops protect and enrich the soil while minimizing or eliminating the need for synthetic chemicals.
Cover crops also encourage biodiversity – as do fruit trees and different vine varieties. MacRobert and Canals have over 30 different plant species in their Barranco del San Ginés vineyard and numerous grape varieties in their old vineyards. Increased biodiversity in the vineyard means there is an added buffer to decrease the spread of viruses and other diseases.
Biodiversity in terms of plant life also means that a wider variety of insects are attracted which contributes to a strengthened, diverse ecosystem. Interestingly, these different insects then gather and leave behind pollen, local yeast and other micro-organisms which serve to enhance the sense of “terroir” in wine. Old vines and old vineyards, adapted to the local environment over decades, are truly a fantastic medium for winemakers interested in exploring the expression of terroir in high quality wines.
This Leza landscape shows layers of plant and vine diversity (Photo courtesy: Natalia Morrison)
Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW agrees that all living things, from plants to micro-organisms to people, are important to both biodiversity and terroir which, with the DOCa’s new classifications of origin (i.e. Single Vineyard, Village/Municipality, and Zone) and the DOCa’s emphasis on sustainability, are both increasingly relevant to producers. As a result, continuing to meet the needs of every being in the ecosystem is critical to meaningful, long-term sustainability of the whole – healthy, well-structured soil for the plants, pesticide-free cover crops and trees for the insects, and reasonable lifestyles for the people, for example.
So what does all of this mean for the wines? Because of the changes to yield and balance that happen to vines as they age, the grapes from old vines tend to be high quality with a great depth of flavour. As Jackie Blisson MW notes, old vines are prized by those in the know because they have matured to the point where, despite often lower yields, they can reliably produce healthy, optimally ripened fruit with complex, concentrated flavours that produce wines that retain a sense of freshness (even in warmer years) together with more “...texture and intensity without having to pick riper or aim for extraction in the cellar”. Not surprisingly, while vines younger than 10 years tend to have a pretty expression of fruit, older vines tend to be better at expressing “terroir” with a more mature and varied expression of the variety’s characteristics. This typicity of both variety and place contribute not only to a wine’s identity but also to its quality.
Finally, old vine wines can be powerful, “living” examples of agricultural and cultural heritage – in much the way food can. Because consumers are drawn to stories, the history of the old vines, and of the neighbourhood they grew up in, make old vine wines very marketable and can be used to engage customers in this higher value category.
Sounds sort of idyllic, doesn’t it? Roberto Vicente notes that while it’s certainly a blessing that Rioja’s heritage is protected through its old vineyards, a challenge will be to keep protecting these low-yielding, high-cost sites which are so expressive of terroir. The problem stems from the fact that, as old vines typically produce lower yields while requiring greater inputs in terms of time and labour, price points for grapes (and wines) from old vines need to be correspondingly higher. As growers have historically been paid by weight and sugar content of their grapes, old vines may not be as cost-effective as younger, higher yielding vines.
Fortunately, winemakers in DOCa Rioja are well aware of the value of the fruit from old vines and are willing to pay for it. Because land is precious to growers, some winemakers are renting the old vineyards so that a grower doesn’t feel compelled to grub up their old vines to replant them with younger ones. Other winemakers negotiate a trade with the growers - the old vineyard for a new one (sometimes with extra cash).
MacRobert and Canals’ Paraje de la Virgen Vineyard in Rioja Alavesa forms part of the local community (Photo Courtesy: Natalia Morrison)
The other important part of the equation is the consumer who needs to be willing to compensate those in the wine industry for the additional quality and value old vines offer to both wines and the environment. For this, not only is an enhanced awareness and understanding important but also, perhaps, an enhanced sense of appreciation and “loyalty” can be cultivated for old vines, the wines they produce, and the growers/winemakers who are responsible for their well-being.
So what is the DOCa doing to promote the preservation of old vines and, through them, enhance sustainability?
According to the DOCa, of Rioja’s ~67,000 ha of vineyards, there are currently over 15,000 ha >35 years old (~22%), with another 5000 over 50 years old (~7.5%) and about 2000 over 75 years old (~3%). Five years ago, Juan Carlos Sancha was quoted as saying that 0.6% of DOCa Rioja’s 67,000 ha of vines (i.e. ~400 ha) are over 90 years old with Bryan MacRobert narrowing it down a little further recently when he said that over 300 ha of vines are over 100 years old (~0.4%). Tending all of these vines are a large number of small growers (over 15,000).
That’s a lot of old vines to protect and a lot of growers to work with. In an article in Decanter, Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW talked about how DOCa Rioja was leading a movement to change EU legislation from focusing on productivity (which encourages the grubbing up of older vines) to protecting old vineyards by reallocating funds to incentivize growers.
Taking more local action, the DOCa approved its own measures to preserve old vineyards in early 2021. As mentioned earlier, the DOCa is training growers to care for old vines in order to keep the vines healthy, productive, and valued by those whose lifestyle depends on the fruit. The DOCa is also allowing different classifications of old vines to be recognized on labels. This paves the way for growers and winemakers to be compensated for the lower yields and higher labour costs associated with older vineyards. Vine age will also be officially recognized as an indicator for grape prices and some vineyards will be classified as genetic reservoirs with appropriate compensation by the DOCa.
The DOCa’s 2017 origin-based classification system will also, undoubtedly, contribute towards sustainability as it allows the region to work towards the preservation of terroir and, as a result, old vines as they are such valuable interpreters of terroir. Intriguingly, the new focus also allows producers to make more creative responses to market demands – including the creation of quality wines with stories - something which will also, undoubtedly, contribute to the long-term sustainability of both old vines and the wine industry in DOCa Rioja.
Like the mountains protecting them, old vines are fundamental to Rioja (Photo courtesy: Natalia Morrison)
In conclusion, while everything is evolving, from our environment to wine consumers’ preferences, some things – like old vineyards - are irreplaceable and shouldn’t be lost. The benefits of preserving old vines in terms of both heritage and regional sustainability are unquestionable with the vines’ inherent genetic diversity, years of adaptation and natural balance. Then, for quality-minded producers and consumers, “the uniquely complex, characterful wines derived from old vine vineyards are ample proof of their importance”.
As mentioned earlier, a key problem will be to find new consumers willing to pay a fair price for the wines. The exciting thing for DOCa Rioja, however, is that many of today’s consumers would rather “buy less but better” wines – especially those with a story they can feel connected to. The DOCa not only has its stunning landscapes, distinct climates, attractive varieties and captivating old vines - which lead to an incredible diversity of high-quality wines capable of meeting the needs and wants of a wide range of consumers - but it also has a treasure trove of welcoming, passionate producers willing to share their stories and build relationships all of which lead to more customer loyalty.
Rioja has many passionate stakeholders helping the wine industry adapt including “pracademic” Juan Carlos Sancha (Photo courtesy: Juan Carlos Sancha)
To remain viable, the wine industry will need to adapt – then adapt again, and again. This is because long-term sustainability, which supports viability, takes place in an ever-changing world requiring ongoing commitment from all players. A lot of patience, tolerance, understanding and long-term thinking is, and will continue to be, required to re-envision, repeatedly, a meaningful wine industry. As Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW says, DOCa Rioja is a leader in the wine industry and is already taking important steps to make their vision of a truly sustainable wine industry reality.
Natalia looks forward to connecting with other old vine/wine lovers! You can reach her on:
Instagram: @nmorrison.hc
LinkedIn: Natalia Morrison, MSc DipWSET SWS IWS
her soon-to-be-released blog “Exploring our world through wine”
