Versado is proud to be among the launch partners for the new Old Vines Registry Seal. Our single estate vineyard in Mendoza, Argentina – catalogued in the Registry as planted in 1920 – qualifies for the 100+ designation.
When Canadian winemakers Ann Sperling and Peter Gamble began searching for a vineyard in Argentina, old-vine Malbec was not incidental to the plan. It was the plan. They considered hundreds of properties before choosing the three-hectare vineyard that they would name Versado.
“We wanted to be among the first to adopt the OVR Seal because it gives visible expression to something that has been fundamental to Versado from the beginning – the value of preserving old vineyards and understanding what they can still teach us. Our 1920 vineyard is a living resource, and the seal helps connect people more directly to its story,” says Ann Sperling.
“We went to Argentina looking specifically for old-vine Malbec. We looked at more than 200 properties before we found this vineyard. Its age was not simply an interesting detail – it was central to what we believed the site could express and to the kind of wine we wanted to make,” says Peter Gamble.
The Old Vine Registry (OVR) is a free, public database documenting old vineyards around the world. More than 12,500 vineyards in 43 countries are currently included, among them more than 1,300 vineyards over 100 years old. The Registry encompasses more than 47,000 hectares and more than 930 grape varieties.
The seal, introduced today, connects wines directly to the vineyards from which they come. To use the seal, at least 85% of a wine’s grapes must come from Registry-listed vineyards within the corresponding age category – 35+, 50+, 75+, 100+ or 150+ years. Versado exceeds that sourcing requirement: all of its wines are made 100% from its registered 1920 vineyard.