Garage Wine Co.’s Old-Vine ‘Revival’ project comes to the UK
Pioneering winemaker, Derek Mossman Knapp of Garage Wine Co, was in London this week for the UK launch of their Old-Vine Revival project. The initiative began in the Maule in Southern Chile during lockdown to revive small parcels of old vines of the ancient grape variety País.
The venture will help local farmers combat poor grape prices and revive neglected vineyard plots that were impacted by the bushfires of 2017.
Derek Mossman Knapp, winemaker at Garage Wine Co, said: “When we started, the vineyards did not look like much, but we realised the value of old vines is not in their photogenic candelabra profile above ground but their roots.
“These roots have spent a century and more adapting to their place. As a result, old roots have a tremendous life force, drinking deep and acting as shock absorbers for vintage swings, drought and even fire.”
- READ MORE: Chile's fairytale variety
The small parcels were planted with País in generations past. The grape arrived in Chile from the Canary Islands and dates back to the 16th Century when it served as the wine for Catholic Mass.
Since then, almost twenty generations have farmed País in Chile’s ‘New World’ wine region.
The new 2021 País Old Vine Revival and other wines from Garage Wine Co are distributed in the UK by Freixenet Copestick. They are available to the on-trade through Jascots and direct to consumers at online retailer www.slurp.co.uk.
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