Old Vine Registry reaches 10,000 vineyard sign ups

By Hamish Graham

Published: 26 March, 2026

The Old Vine Registry, a public database committed to collating historic vineyards, has announced that it has surpassed 10,000 vineyard registrations from across the globe.

The project, which was launched in 2023, can now boast 40,900ha of registered historic plantings in 42 countries, composed of 1,144 grape varieties.

Momentum is strong for the project – reaching this number was a goal originally set for 2027. Marking the milestone was the 10,000th registered vineyard – South Africa’s Beaumount Wine Estate’s Hope Vineyard which possesses Chenin Blanc vines planted in 1974.

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“Old vineyards are among the wine world’s most valuable agricultural and cultural assets. But until recently there has been no global effort to systematically document where they are, what they contain, and how old they are. The registry exists to change that”, commented Alder Yarrow the initiative’s architect and manager.

On the progress made to date, he added: “When we launched the registry, I thought there might be tens of thousands of old-vine vineyards worth cataloguing around the world.

“As the data has come in, it’s become clear that the real number may be in the hundreds of thousands. Reaching 10,000 vineyards this quickly shows how much momentum there is across the global wine community to document and celebrate these historic plantings.”

In October 2024 the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) adopted ‘resolution OIV-VITI 703-2024’ which formalised the definition of ‘old vines’ as being 35 years old and older. This aligns with the allowable registration age of vineyards for the Old Vine Registry.

Support from importers including Skurnik Wines and regional bodies such as Wines of Moldova has been vital in propelling the project forward.

To submit a vineyard or to explore the Registry, click here.

Image credit – Marc Pascual from Pixabay

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