Groundbreaking research from DO Campo de Borja has offered up scientific evidence that shows how old vine Garnacha produces wines with greater aging potential and site-specific character than fruit from younger vineyards.
The findings were unveiled at the Old Vine Conference’s Meeting of the Minds 2025 in northern California, marking the culmination of the appellation’s four-year Garnachas Históricas project. The project was launched in 2022 in partnership with the Universities of Zaragoza and Navarra and local wineries Ainzón, Aragonesas and Borsao.
Led by professor Vicente Ferreira at Zaragoza’s Aroma Analysis Laboratory, the first study compared grapes from historic vineyards aged between 30 and 90 years with fruit from younger control plots. The results confirmed that old vines consistently delivered greater aromatic complexity, more intense phenolic structure and a stronger expression of terroir that produces wines more suitable for longer aging.
Ferreira explained: “The results were remarkably consistent. While the wines from younger vines were similar in profile, we saw marked differences between the old vine grapes from different sites.”
A companion study by the University of Navarra also addressed the long-standing problem of accurately certifying vine age, which is often obscured by incomplete planting records. Professor Luis Gonzaga Santesteban and Dr Mónica Galar combined aerial photography dating back to 1956, vine-growth measurements and rootstock genetics to produce an empirical method for determining age. The researchers identified 1.55cm as the average annual growth rate, allowing reliable estimates of a vine’s age based on its height and structure.
Dr Laura Catena of the Catena Institute of Wine, who moderated the Old Vine Conference session, said: “This multi-year study establishes with scientific certainty what many of us know through experience, that old vines make better wine. The vineyard-dating methodology creates a framework for establishing vineyard age across the world. Kudos to Spain for leading the way.”
Old Vine Conference co-founder Sarah Abbott MW added: “We are delighted that member DO Campo de Borja decided to launch the results of these pioneering studies at the Old Vine Conference Meeting of Minds 2025. We have long believed through comparative tastings that wines made from old vines display greater concentration and complexity of flavour, as well as being better able to express site-specific nuances, so to have this proven scientifically by the team at the University of Zaragoza is a great step forward for the old vine community, giving us evidence that supports our belief that old vines are special and require protection.”
CRDO Campo de Borja’s director and technical secretary José Ignacio Gracia López said the work will help preserve the region’s heritage.
“Garnacha originates in Aragón, so we are particularly interested in ensuring that our collection of historic Garnacha vineyards lives on for future generations. These studies support our vine growers and wineries in allowing us to accurately certify the age of older parcels, as well as proving the value of older vines in producing more flavourful, age-worthy and terroir-specific wines,” he concluded.
