Rosenvale Vineyards: Building knowledge through practice
The Rosenzweig family have been Barossa farmers and vignerons for seven generations. In 2010, James Rosenzweig, built the Rosenvale Winery on the family vineyard to learn more about their fruit and how it can be developed into premium wine.
Gottfried and Johanna Rosenzweig moved to Australia from Prussia in 1850, seeking a better life. They purchased a small farm in a Barossa village called Moculta and after five generations of hard work, the family now owns over 200 acres of vineyard within the Barossa Valley.
James Rosenzweig, a 6th generation vigneron and winemaker runs Rosenvale today, along with his father, Aubrey, and son, Jake. After working in the family’s vineyards before and after school, James developed a passion for grapes.
Over many seasons, he saw the challenges and opportunities that can appear within a vineyard. He completed a basic winemaker’s course and then started to bring his influence to Rosenvale wines, determined to continue his family’s vineyard legacy.
Fruit is grown across four Rosenvale Fruit Estates, so he made the most of the unique parcels of land he had to work with, mature vines, and the rich family heritage he could learn from. The vineyards are found in the northern end of the Barossa Valley and each has its own personality, with varied soil types and microclimates.
Knowing that the best wines begin in the vineyard, he has continued developing family practices that highlight the unique characteristics of each grape.
Using a blend of conventional, organic, and biodynamic farming techniques, the Rosenvale family works dynamically to help the fruit reach its full potential while minimising environmental impact. Rosenvale wines are matured in French and American Oak to add structure and enhance delicate flavours. Interventions are also minimal and intentional. Using pure methods, they focus on expressing the true terroir of each vineyard.
The Rosenvale’s beginnings in the Barossa Valley as vignerons give them a long family history to draw upon. They continue to apply their learnings when working through challenges in the vineyards and experimenting with their unique spectrum of varieties.
The Rosenvale Vineyard Estates
The family strives for their wines to be a reflection of their source and continuously experiment across the Rosenvale Vineyard Estates. The vineyards are meticulously detailed and harness the Barossa Valley’s complex geological structure.
Rosenvale “Rosenzweig” Vineyard
Home to the Rosenzweig family and plantings of Grenache, Semillon, old vine Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon. New selections of Shiraz, Tempranillo, Mataro, Graciano, and Roussanne have also been planted.
Rosenvale “Vine Vale Sands” Vineyard
The family’s first vineyard expansion with different selections of each varietal. The motivation was to create a dynamic portfolio with premium fruits, such as Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, three selections of Shiraz, two selections of Merlot, and existing plantings of old vine Grenache and Shiraz.
Rosenvale “Highway One” Vineyard
This vineyard is home to one selection of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Different rootstocks are chosen to provide subtle differences in the expression of the fruit, finding variety within the variety.
Rosenvale “Stockwell Rise” Vineyard
Stockwell Rise was chosen for its high elevation on the slopes near the Stockwell township. It has enabled the Rosenvale family to experiment with a broader range of varietals and continue their pursuit of creating exceptional wine. It features 26 different Shiraz selections and is a hub for experimentation.
A reputation for big, bold reds
The Rosenvale’s wines are a classic expression of the Barossa Valley. Given the breadth of their portfolio, they can test and learn at scale. As a result, they have been able to push the boundaries of South Australia’s famous big, bold reds. They take their grapes to the maximum ripeness, dancing the fine line without going over the top. Their powerful, full-bodied reds with soft, velvety tannins offer a burst of flavour and vitality.
Building knowledge through practice
The Rosenvale’s beginnings in the Barossa Valley as vignerons give them a long family history to draw upon. They continue to apply their learnings when working through challenges in the vineyards and experimenting with their unique spectrum of varieties.
Creating their small-batch wines also gives them a full-circle view of how fruit evolves in the vineyard, cellar, and bottle.
With such an intimate link forged between work and family, the Rosenzweig family builds knowledge through practice and hopes to continue telling their story from season to season and vintage to vintage.
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