Chance would be a vine thing

Today, we reveal the open secret to seeking out great pesticide-free wines

Old vines were regarded as hugely unproductive

In the late 1950s, a confident world had emerged from the ashes of World War II: a world where science, logic and a great deal of concrete was going to build a better world. In farming, massive use of chemicals and mechanisation arose in the wake of this modernisation drive, allowing untold amounts of food to be produced.

In the world’s vineyards, this bright future was also embraced. The first things to go ...