Centuries old SA vineyard thrust into international spotlight
At 2am Adelaide time, one of the world’s oldest known vines still producing grapes in the Barossa Valley won sudden, global acclaim.
A precious old South Australian vineyard found itself suddenly thrust into the international spotlight at 2am Adelaide time on Thursday morning after an image of one of its 183-year-old vines won a top prize in the inaugural global Old Vine Photography Competition held in London.
The Barossa Valley plant at Langmeil Winery is one of the world’s oldest known continuously productive vines still producing shiraz grapes.
Photographer and Tanunda local Dragan Radocaj was announced as the winner of the Landscape and Plants Category for capturing Langmeil Winery’s The Freedom 1843 Shiraz Vineyard.
The winery was founded in 1842 with shiraz vineyards planted the following year.
Langmeil Winery sales and marketing director James Lindner says Radocaj has “an extraordinary ability to capture the soul of a landscape”.
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“The Freedom 1843 vineyard is one of Australia’s great living treasures, and we’re incredibly proud that Dragan’s image has helped share that story with an international audience,” Lindner says.
“This recognition celebrates not only these remarkable old vines, but also the artistry required to reveal their beauty and significance.”
The Old Vine Photography Competition featured more than 250 entrants from 18 different countries showcasing vineyards around the world.
Competition head judge Randy Caparoso praised Radocaj’s image, saying it was clear the grapevine was centuries old.
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“The camera lens successfully captures the etched crevices, long spurs and muscular enough trunk indicative of age, like the face of a wily 90-year-old man or sharp-eyed 100-year-old woman,” Caparoso says.
“Of course, knowing that it is a 183-year-old Shiraz makes it even more impressive; particularly the cluster sizes, demonstrating that old or ancient vines also exist for this reason: Because these vines are still vigorous enough to produce a healthy crop.”
Other category winners announced on the night included images taken in Bolivia and Spain.
Tim Atkin won the People Award for an image of a Bolivian woman among 200-year-old vines, Jorge Miret was awarded in the Resilience and Adaptation category for Spanish vines enduring sub-zero temperatures.
Patricia Mendoza was winner in both the Cultural Legacy and Overall Winner categories for an image of a Bolivian family in front of centuries old vines.
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