The Old Vine Conference
2024
A virtual experience on the:
17th-18th October
Climate Change & Sustainability: The Role of Old Vines
The 6th Edition of The Old Vine Conference, 2024
Join us to hear from an inspiring line-up of old vine pioneers, thought leaders, academics, environmentalists, winemakers, viticulturalists, and commercial & marketing specialists. Gain invaluable insight on the subject of old vines from around the world and a deeper understanding of the role that old vines play in the wine industry's adaptation to climate change & sustainability.
The conference will take place live, on-line, across two days at different times of the day. We hope this will enable as many time-zones as possible to join us live.
Day 1
17th October (14.00 - 18.00 UK) online only
The role old vines play in a sustainable future for the wine industry.
Schedule of Events
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Welcome, OVC overview and today’s timetable, Sarah Abbott MW, co-founder, The Old Vine Conference
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Address from Cathy van Zyl MW, Director of The Old Vine Project in South Africa & presentation from Dr Jonathan Steyn on the economic sustainability of old vine wines in SOUTH AFRICA.
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Regenerative viticulture in Portugal - a case study on the experimental soil treatments of old vines with Fransisca Van Zellers of Van Zellers & Co. PORTUGAL
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Derek Mossman Knapp, co-founder of Vigno, and members of his research team will share the findings of their study funded by the IWSC to deepen and share the learnings of the Vigno model for the benefit of other old vine regions in Chile and around the world.
CHILE -
A Thousand and One Malbecs: Preserving Genetic Diversity in Argentina, hosted by Dr Adrianna Catena, Silvina Van Houten (CWI) & Sebastian Gomez Taltenca (INTA) – ARGENTINA
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How do we turn today’s 25-year-old vines into tomorrow’s 100-year-old vineyards? Rising redevelopment costs plus economic, climatic and viticultural challenges require Lodi growers to build resilience in their farms to sustain and thrive for years to come. Meeting today's challenges requires an appellation-wide approach that involves the whole community and addresses disease management, marketing viability, on-farm income and vineyard scale.
Presented by Stuart Spencer Executive Director, Lodi Wine Grape Commission
USA -
Special announcement: The Old Vine Conference and Zinfandel Advocates & Producers will make a joint announcement on their ambitious plans for 2025.
* Timings, schedules and additional sessions will be announced soon, please check back regularly *
Day 2
18th October (10.00 - 14.00 UK) online only
The role of old vines in the wine industry's adaptation to climate change.
Schedule of Events
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Welcome, OVC overview and today’s timetable, Sarah Abbott MW, co-founder, The Old Vine Conference
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Planting for the future with Louisa Rose, Hill-Smith Family Estates. AUSTRALIA
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Jumilla’s old Monastrell vines: an asset in the fight against climate change, presented by Carolina Martínez Origone, agricultural Engineer and general Secretary of the Conseco Regulador of Jumilla.
SPAIN -
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Tasting Climate Change is a bi-annnual international symposium that focuses on the solutions available for the wine industry to adapt and mitigate climate change. Michelle's session title will be announced soon.
CANADA/GLOBAL -
An industry discussion on the old vine movement in France, moderated by Sarah Abbott MW with speakers from Plaimont and Domaine Jones.
FRANCE -
Viña Don Melchor’s unique ‘sundial vineyard’ project has been designed to provide the winery with insightful, new information. The results examine the relationship between orientation and planting density in vine cultivation, and its effects on microclimate conditions at the level of the clusters and their consequent production and ripening. Based on its commitment to excellence, innovation and sustainability Vina Don Melchor will present how the information on vine cultivation gathered from the project will provide tools to face the challenges of sustainable agriculture and climate variations, and how they will apply this new knowledge in the management of the current vineyard as well as future renovations. Presented by winemaker Isabel Mitarakis Guilisasti
CHILE
Our Guest Speakers
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Sarah Abbott MW
Co-Founder
The Old Vine Conference
Sarah is the director of marketing agency Swirl Wine Group, and has worked in the wine industry for 25 years. Her interest in ancient varieties and the origins of wine is long-standing and she co-founded The Old Vine Conference in 2021. Sarah works with generic and national wine bodies, advising them on how to communicate their shared identity and increase their collective brand value. -
Isabel Mitarakis Guilisasti
Winemaker
Viña Concha y Toro
Isabel Mitarakis is a member of the Guilisasti family, closely tied to the history and development of the Chilean wine industry. She grew up surrounded by vineyards and understood from a young age that making great wine requires an in-depth knowledge of the terroir. As a natural result of her childhood experiences, she decided to study agricultural engineering at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, specializing in oenology. -
Dr. Adrianna Catena
Research Advisor
The Old Vine Conference
Based in London, Adrianna is a historian and fourth-generation vintner at Catena Zapata winery. In 2009, together with winemaker Alejandro Vigil, she founded El Enemigo Wines, in Mendoza, Argentina, and has more recently ventured to Spain with Bodega El Reventón – a fully off-grid winery – in the Sierra de Gredos. She holds an MPhil. and DPhil. in History from Balliol College, Oxford, specialising in the Early Modern Iberian Atlantic. -
Carolina Martinez Origone
General Secretary of Jumilla PDO Regulatory Council
Born in Madrid, Carolina is an agricultural engineer and holds a Master of Science in agrifood marketing. Carolina has been the manager and general secretary of the Jumilla PDO Regulatory Council since 2017. With a firm belief in the potential of its wines and the distinctive features of the land Carolina’s aim is to modernise this historic wine region.
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Louisa Rose
Head of Sustainability, Hill-Smith Family Estates
Louisa joined Yalumba in 1993 and became chief winemaker in 2006. She has worked 28 vintages and won numerous awards, including 2008 Winemaker of the Year and 2014 Best Winemaker in Australia. Louisa judges international wine shows, chairs the Australian Wine Research Institute, and was inducted as Grand Master of the Barossa winemaking fraternity in 2019. She was instrumental in drawing up the Old Vine Charter in Barossa.
More speaker profiles coming soon
