30/06/2024
PRESS RELEASE
Old Vine Registry Marks One Year Anniversary and
Announces Heritage Vine Hunt Contest
LONDON, ENGLAND (June 26, 2024) – To mark the first anniversary of its launch, the Old Vine Registry held a One-Year-On webinar for the wine trade, media and old-vine enthusiasts.
The hosts, Old Vine Registry Manager, Alder Yarrow, and co-founder of The Old Vine Conference, Sarah Abbott MW, announced a growth in old-vine listings of more than 1,000 new vineyards in one year; this increase of 49% brought the total number of vineyards catalogued to 3,279, across 36 countries.
“I’m really pleased with the progress that we’ve made so far,” said Yarrow. “More than 200 individuals from around the world have submitted vineyard data, as well as some larger regional organizations. That said, we’re still just scratching the surface of the old vine universe.”
To ensure the continued growth and impact of the Old Vine Registry, the team have conceived a campaign to cataogue 10,000 vineyards in the next three years, which was announced during the webinar.
“In order for The Old Vine Registry to keep growing and deepen its impact we need to keep it in the minds of the global wine community. That’s why we have launched the Heritage Vine Hunt Contest which aims to incentivise individuals to help us log, promote and protect more old vineyards” said Sarah Abbott MW.
Over the next three years, prizes will be awarded yearly to the individuals who contribute the newest vineyard entries to the Registry. Prizes have been donated by wine industry leaders including Wine Scholar Guild, JancisRobinson.com, The Old Vine Conference, World of Fine Wine magazine, Académie du Vin Library and Vinous. Like Wikipedia, the Registry depends on the submission of vineyard data by interested parties who own or can search out vineyard data.
After three years, the individual who has contributed the newest vineyards will receive the Grand Prize, which includes a travel bursary to attend an Old Vine Conference field trip, which are held around the world. Covering airfare, hotel, meals, and registration, this bursary has a value of more than US $2,000.
“We hope these prizes will incentivize some people to do a bit of research and contribute more vineyards,” said Yarrow. “It’s not that hard to dig up information on old vineyards, it just takes a little time and effort, and now with the contest we can reward some of that effort with great prizes and, of course, an immersive and educational trip to learn more about the significance of the world’s viticultural heritage.”
Contest winners will be announced yearly on the anniversary of the Registry’s launch. More details on the Heritage Vine Hunt contest can be found at: https://oldvineregistry.org/contest
Watch the Anniversary webinar and contest announcement here.
About The Old Vine Registry: www.oldvineregistry.org
The Old Vine Registry is the world’s first and largest database cataloguing vineyards aged more than 35 years of age around the world. The registry aims to be a resource for the wine industry, academia, and consumers to discover and learn about old vineyards, as well as a conduit for the sale of wines made from these vineyards. Originally started by Jancis Robinson, the Registry launched as a crowd-sourced, public resource on the web in June of 2024, funded by a donation from Jackson Family Wines and managed by Alder Yarrow of Vinography.Com. The site is owned by The Old Vine Conference, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to building a credible category for old vine wines and a community that sustains and communicates its value.
Contest Prizes:
The grand prize winner at the end of year three will receive:
> A travel bursary covering flights, hotels, meals and tickets to attend a future Old Vine Conference Field Trip (past trips have included Jumilla, Sicily, and more)
> A lifetime membership to the Old Vine Conference
> A full set of wine maps from Vinous
> A copy of The Essence of Wine by Alder Yarrow
> A set of 6 Jancis Robinson x Richard Brendon wine glasses
The annual winners of the first and second years will receive:
> A 2-year Gold Membership to JancisRobinson.com
> A 2-year Wine Scholar Guild membership
> A year’s subscription to World of Fine Wine magazine
> A selection of titles from the Académie du Vin Library
> A year’s individual membership to the Old Vine Conference
The annual second-place winners at the end of the first and second years will receive:
> A set of 2 Jancis Robinson x Richard Brendon wine glasses
> A year’s individual membership to the Old Vine Conference
The annual third-place contestants at the end of the first and second years will receive:
A year’s individual membership to the Old Vine Conference
Image attached: Old Vine Registry logo placed on old vine image
Contact:
Belinda Stone at The Old Vine Conference
[email protected]
+44 (0)7903 804227
