Katie Jones - Owner & Winemaker working at Domaine Jones

Making old vine heritage matter to consumers

Katie Jones moved from the UK to live and work in Languedoc many years ago. But it wasn't until 2008 that she took the plunge and bought her first vineyard. Several vintages later, and Domaine Jones is producing exceptional wines from very old vines and (exceptionally small yields) in and around the village of Tuchan,  in rural South of France. 

With old vines aged from 50 to 116 years old , Jones  is able to make single varietal unusual wines like Carignan Gris and Macabeu and the Hairy Grenache (a hairy leafed Grenache aka Lledoner Pelut)  - really giving the vine variety the limelight.   

Jones says that if anyone else had bought these vines they would have ripped up the vineyards and planted younger more vigorous vines. ‘They are the stray dogs that no-one else wants’ 

Through Jones’ virtual vineyard rambles on instagram live throughout lockdown and via her recent Adopt an Old Vine Scheme, (round two goes live this week) Katie Jones has been able to show her followers first-hand what old vines mean for a winemaker, for the community and for the end product. 

‘Old Vines represent such a large part of our history, they tell a thousand stories of the people who have worked with them over the years and the people who have enjoyed wines from their fruit.  They need more care and attention, but it is worth it for the quality and style of wine that they produce.’

‘The Old Vines project is a fantastic initiative, helping to encourage a long term awareness, a commitment. Until I showed people my old vines they didn’t understand what it meant to write ‘old vines’ on a wine label.’ Unless you show it and explain it, people don’t get it. Wines from old vines get better with time.’