'We Few, We Happy Few, We Band Of Brothers'

The Song of Australia’s Old Vines

We are not many, no, we, the elders of Australian wine, are few.

We were born before slavery was abolished in America, before women had the vote and before the advent of the first car or aero plane flight.

As the ancestors of Australian wine, we have witnessed changes you will only read about in the history books. We have seen the years roll by and witnessed each changing vintage, serving and observing generations of Australian winemakers who have nurtured us as if we were their own children. We, the old vines of Australia, have survived storms, drought, wars, pestilence and vine removal schemes to set an example to today’s and future generations of the magnificent potential of the grapevine. They call us old and we are, but we prefer to call ourselves mature.

We elder statesmen and women of the industry are immensely grateful to Yalumba’s Robert Hill-Smith and Brian Walsh, who called for recognition of our value by circulating an old vine charter. Today’s Barossa Old Vine Charter, adopted in 2009 to preserve, retain and promote old vines, groups us into four categories by age: Old; Survivor; Centenarian and Ancestor.

The Olds