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Old Vines, New Lessons: Rosa Kruger on Climate and the Future of Wine

Rosa Kruger has emerged as one of the most consequential voices in South African wine, not through the spectacle of winemaking celebrity but through a grounded, unwavering devotion to vineyards, people and long-term stewardship of land.

As the guiding force behind the Old Vine Project, she has reshaped how South Africa recognizes and safeguards its viticultural inheritance while engaging directly with the pressures of climate change, drought and education.

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Rosa Kruger

The Old Vine Project certifies and protects South Africa’s vineyards that are 35 years or older. Each qualifying block is officially registered using planting records, farm numbers and Wine of Origin data, with details recorded on vineyard size, variety, rootstock, yield declarations and irrigation status to ensure full traceability. Wines from these sites may carry the Certified Heritage Vineyards seal, which is independently audited and legally controlled. The system ties certification to a specific vineyard parcel, ensuring accuracy and preventing misuse of the term “old vine.”

There are over 5,000 hectares of registered old vines in South Africa today, and more than 350 wines carry the Certified Heritage Vineyards seal.

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Old vines are often better equipped to handle climate change because their deep root systems access water far below the surface, helping them endure drought and heat stress more effectively than younger vines. Over time, they reach a natural balance between growth and yield, typically producing smaller crops that ripen more evenly and accumulate sugar more slowly, preserving acidity and structure in warmer conditions. Many are also dry-farmed and have survived decades of environmental pressure, meaning they are already well adapted to their sites. While not immune to extreme climate events, old vines tend to show greater stability under stress.

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In my conversation with Rosa Kruger, she looks both backward and forward, tracing how South Africa’s hard-won lessons may now speak to the other great wine regions of the world—France, Italy, California, Australia and more—searching for resilience in the face of an increasingly uncertain climate.

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Monica Larner: You’ve worked in South African wine for decades. What do you understand more clearly now than you did earlier in your career?

Rosa Kruger: I understand our history much more clearly now. South Africa has been a bulk-wine–producing country for a very long time. Even in the 18th and 19th centuries, wine was exported to Europe in bulk. The problem was the journey across the equator: wines often fell apart, so producers added alcohol to preserve them. By the time those wines arrived in Europe, they tasted harsh and unbalanced—except for Vin de Constance, which was preserved by sugar. That early history shaped a long-lasting reputation for South African wine as cheap and cheerful.

ML: Many of today’s old vines were planted during the KWV era (Koöperatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika, founded in 1918). How did the powerful cooperative operate?

RK: Under the KWV system, there were quotas and strict controls, and the focus remained on bulk production. There was little freedom to plant what you wanted, where you wanted or to experiment. Diversity and individuality weren’t encouraged.

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ML: What changed when South Africa returned to global markets after the end of apartheid and the lifting of international sanctions in the early 1990s?

RK: When the country opened up, there was a period of shock. Suddenly South African wine was acceptable internationally, whereas before it wasn’t. Winemakers had to learn quickly. People began traveling, tasting and understanding what was possible. The most important change was freedom: today you can plant different varieties, rootstocks and vineyards at altitude. That freedom unleashed experimentation.

ML: How did the Old Vine Project emerge in this new context?

RK: About 20 years ago, we began to realize how many very old vineyards still existed and how they were being lost in blends with young-vine bulk wine. Once producers started separating and bottling old-vine wines intentionally, the results were remarkable. It created energy and a renewed sense of identity. Old vines aren’t about nostalgia—they’re about texture, depth and character.

ML: Where do you see opportunity for South African wine today?

RK: Despite the challenges, there’s enormous potential. We’re planting at altitude now, which we didn’t really do before, and we’re thinking much more carefully about climate, soil and long-term resilience. The future won’t just be better—it will be different.

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ML: What can South Africa teach other countries about protecting old vines?

RK: The Old Vine Project isn’t about one person—it’s a system. We’re invited to speak internationally because South Africa has developed practical responses to extreme conditions: heat, drought and especially wind. I’ve traveled widely, and I’ve never encountered wind like we have here. We’ve dealt with it for so long that we’ve developed practices others are only beginning to consider.

ML: What are some of those practices?

RK: Soil health is fundamental—mulching, regenerative approaches and farming closer to nature. Monoculture won’t survive the future. We also design vineyards along contours to capture rainwater, channel it into dams and reuse it. In the past, rainfall wasn’t a major concern in many European regions, but now it is.

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Drought and Climate Adaptation

ML: South Africa has faced severe drought, most recently from 2015 to 2018, with peak impact in 2017 and 2018. How has that shaped viticulture?

RK: Drought isn’t new for us. We’ve lived with heat, drought and wind for generations. The four-year drought that culminated around 2018 was especially severe and forced everyone to rethink how they farmed. But many growers already had an instinctive understanding of how to cope because these conditions are part of our history.

ML: What lessons came out of that period?

RK: Moisture preservation is everything. Mulching alone can preserve 30% to 40% of soil moisture, which makes a huge difference. Capturing rainwater, reusing it and constantly improving soil health are essential. Everything we do is about fighting to keep moisture in the soil.

ML: What lessons can Europe or other wine regions learn from this?

RK: In many parts of Europe, drought and water scarcity are relatively new. There’s now serious discussion about dry farming and water allocation—whether water should go to agriculture or to cities. Wine is a luxury product, so if water becomes scarce, it won’t be the priority. Growers everywhere need to adapt now.

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ML: Does the South African experience offer advantages?

RK: In some ways, yes. We have institutional memory. Farmers here can say, “We’ve seen this before.” South Africa will still be affected by climate change, especially if ocean temperatures rise, but we’re more resilient because we’ve dealt with these pressures for so long.

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Education and the Future

ML: What remains the biggest challenge?

RK: Education and skill development for workers. When you talk about soil health or vineyard design, people engage. When you talk about education, they often tune out, but everything starts with education.

ML: How is the Old Vine Project’s “Old Vine Academy” addressing this?

RK: We run two programs. One is a winter training day focused on practical viticulture, tool care and pruning old vines, followed by field demonstrations. The second is a deeper four-day program through a nonprofit organization. We’ve seen real results—people move into leadership roles, teach others and take pride in their work.

ML: What gives you optimism about the future of South African wine?

RK: Clean plant material is a major positive. Today, almost all nursery vines in South Africa are virus-tested and clean, which wasn’t the case in the past. But once you plant, you must stay virus-free—leafroll remains our biggest threat. Another important shift is planting at higher elevations and on cooler slopes.

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ML: What are the core goals of the Old Vine Project?

RK: We have three. First, preserve old vines—not because they make “better” wines, but because they make wines with texture, depth and complexity. Second, plant vines that can grow old, thinking long-term. Third, ensure everyone benefits: the wine drinker, the winemaker, the farmer and especially farm workers through education.

ML: How did you personally arrive at this work?

RK: I started in journalism, then studied law, but I never practiced. I grew up on a farm and missed that life. One day I realized I didn’t want to raise my child in the life I was living, so I changed everything. I returned to farming, then vineyards and eventually to this work. I love learning, I love studying and I love what I do now.

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