Estate Grown Philosophy - Rosenvale Vineyards

"Thinking outside the box and working through challenges across each vineyard is the true foundation of Rosenvale’s success."

With each vineyard aspect being a unique spectrum of clone selections, soil profiles, plus the development of new techniques to vine training, it provides the winemakers with a comprehensive array of styles, flavours and characters.

To ensure there is a full understanding of how the fruit evolves in the vineyard, Rosenvale hand selects small parcels for its own wine production. These small parcels are made with minimal intervention to study, experience and assess each unique aspect that the vineyard is focused to produce special wines. The Rosenvale wines are made with stylistic experimentation produced in the vineyard that make wines of vigour and ideally, iconic in status.

The complex geological structure of the Barossa Valley offers a wide range of different soil structures, which are reflected in the wines. The vineyards are all meticulously detailed in nature, from planning through to day to day and seasonal management. As three generations of Rosenzweig currently operate the Rosenvale Vineyards there is a common goal in place to provide a connection of work with family, building of knowledge through practice and history told through experience from season to vintage.

James Rosenzweig

Overarching management.

Rosenvale believes there are 3 ways to farm;

Conventional, Organic / Biodynamic and what Rosenvale practices, Dynamic Farming.

The practice of Dynamic Farming (viticulture) is about using the best technique from either conventional or Organic / Biodynamic methods that give us the least impact to control pests in the vineyard and achieves the best fruit at the least impact to the environment.

Soil management.

The mid rows are non-till except in extreme (rare) cases where tillage is required. The soils grow different grasses from volunteer, native or introduced seed. These are mowed to keep growth under control. The mid rows on rotation are deep ripped each year as needed to allow air into the soil and winter rains to penetrate the soil more effectively.

Under the vine rows. The use a mechanical blade, that sweeps under the weed and cuts it off at the base. This blade disrupts the capillary action within the soil and helps to retain moisture by reducing evaporation from the soil. The top layer above the blade loosens the soil and allow waters to absorb more effectively, leaving a smaller wet area for evaporation.

Mulch and composts are applied under vine rows on rotation every year, as needed. Recently the estate has grown its own green organic matter under the vine rows and with the addition of weed blading this has provided a high quality under-vine mulch.

Fertilizer. The use of composted animal manure is applied as needed on a rotational basis with any top up of nutrients applied in the event there is shortfall. Soil and plant tests are performed regularly to determine vine and soil requirements and shortfalls.

Watering.The electronic soil moisture probes provide a guide for the Viticulturists with visual inspection of the vines and soil health plus the weather observations all play a part in any required water application.

Pruning techniques.The Rosenvale vineyards are pruned in 2 different techniques, Cane pruning and Spur pruning.

Trellis designs.

James Rosenzweig has been instrumental in developing what is to be believed to be a first in trellis design.The application provides the facility to maintain optimum vine health whilst spur pruning on a permanent cordon. When a vine does develop sickness with a trunk disease or when mechanical damage occurs, then the performance of major surgery to the vine is made with ease.

Named by James as the “Rosback System”, after Charles Rosback. The system was developed in the Rosenvale vineyards when reworking diseased vines took place. The traditional application of wrapping the cordons down the same way around the wire was seen as chasing the same problem as the previously removed, diseased parts of the vine. In this period of evaluation by James Rosenzweig a trial commenced to wrap a vine cane around 2 horizontal wires and then spur pruned. At this time and by chance, James discovered Charles Rosback was applying the same method, however with vertical wires in the Adelaide Hills.

On comparing the applications in the Barossa Valley and the Adelaide Hills, the practice was astoundingly confirmed as the best application for this challenge. Over the years, further development resulted in a simpler way to wrapping the cane / cordon. Whilst wrapping the cane around 2 wires had its challenges, the adjustment to a 2-wire vertical wire position, on opposite sides of the post around 100 - 150mm apart with a cane arched in each way, then spur pruned to form a permanent cordon, provided the best result for the vine.

The method prevents the strangulation by the wire and to date the application has almost eliminated this from occurring. If the vine unfortunately develops a cordon disease, like Eutypa, the cordon is then cut back to the crown and removed from the vineyard with a new cane arched in its place, then spur pruned the following year.

Additionally, to this practice, leaving 1 lower spur on each side of the vine is the key to success.

This Rosback System has been in practice since 2014 and as the Rosenvale vignerons rework old vines across the estate these blocks are being converted to continue the success and increase in quality and health across the vineyards.

Row Direction.

Rosenvale only plants vine row directions in an East / West aspect. In the past, the Rosenzweig vineyard had an challenge with the North / South row direction. Each vintage an excellent crop of grapes would be established that would meet the expected high grade of the winemakers however at harvest the quality would drop significantly due to sun burn. This comes from the hot afternoon sun burning down on the western side of the vine. After much consideration of these challenges in the vineyard and furthermore against the local expert advice of planting vines in the proposed opposite direction, Aubrey Rosenzweig pulled 1/3rd of the vineyard then across 2 years replanted the vineyard East/West and since then there has not been any further issue with sun burn at the previous scale.