29 October, 2025

From our beginnings as the GEN-Z Vineyard Project to today’s exciting evolution, one thing has never changed — our commitment to advancing viticulture in South Africa.
We are proud to introduce ADVICO — the Advancement of Viticulture Collective South Africa.
A new identity that reflects who we’ve become: a collective of growers, researchers, and industry partners working together to drive progress, sustainability, and innovation across our vineyards.
The name may be new, but the mission remains the same — to grow, together.

September, 2025

For the 2025 ADVICO pruning season, 15 demonstration blocks across nine sites were pruned. Dormant shoots were carefully pruned and weighed individually for each vine, ensuring precise tracking of vegetative growth. This data is then compared to the reproductive yield to calculate the RAVAZ index, providing valuable insights into the performance and potential of each block. This marks the fifth year we are conducting these trials, which continue to help assess and understand the blocks more effectively.

June 11, 2025

Regenerative viticulture is drawing growing interest from writers, consumers, and producers alike. On 11 June 2025, VINPRO/ADVICO hosted the Regenerative Viticulture Growers’ Day in partnership with South Africa Wine RDI, the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation, and the Nemlab Soil Health Support Centre. The event at Spier and Reyneke highlighted practical themes including reduced tillage, compost, biochar, and animal integration. With 65 attendees and international as well as local experts, the presentations were recorded and shared on the Vinpro YouTube channel to reach a wider audience.

April, 2025

This year was ADVICO’s most active season yet, with 29 demos harvested across 10 districts and a record 668 samples collected and processed. Harvest kicked off in late January at Graham Beck and peaked in February and March, with Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, and red cultivar demos ripening in quick succession. At each site, detailed measurements such as bunch and berry weights, berry volume, yield estimates, and juice analyses were recorded to build a stronger dataset. Three sites have now been selected for the 2025 microvinification program: Sauvignon Blanc at De Grendel (Durbanville), Chenin Blanc at Olyvenhout (Wellington), and a red cultivar demo at Knolfontein (Swartland), with tastings by an expert panel to follow in July/August 2025.

2024

In 2024, a Shiraz clone demonstration was established at Kleinood, featuring four selected clones. This initiative marks the beginning of planting larger demonstration blocks with fewer clones to enable meaningful winemaking trials. The goal is to compare clone performance not only in terms of yield and vineyard characteristics but also wine quality. This approach will provide valuable, cellar-based insights to guide future planting decisions.