| | | | | Click the map for an enlargement | The Rosenvale Vineyard's story begins in Prussia in 1850 when Gottfried and Johanna Rosenzweig emigrated to Australia, finally settling in the Barossa Valley in a small village called Moculta. Like their fellow German countrymen, the Rosenzweigs brought to the Barossa district a deep attachment to the land. They initially grazed animals, grew various crops and of course began a small vineyard. Some four generations later, Aubrey Rosenzweig and his wife Beryl decided to abandon the family's agricultural business and focus all their energy on viticulture. Their first dedicated vineyard was a 54 acre property in Bethany - just 10 miles from the family's original property in Moculta. The family now owns and manages 200 acres of vineyard land in the Barossa district. In 2002 they produced approximately 400 tons of premium fruit, roughly the equivalent of 26,000 cases of wines. Almost all the fruit produced is sold to corporate wine producers, but the family now retains selected fruit to produce their very personal Rosenvale wines. Today, James Rosenzweig, the great, great grandson of Gottfried, manages the day-to-day operations of Rosenvale, supported by his wife Sahar, his parents and brother-in-law Chris Sonntag. The family can be seen every day walking and working in the vineyards. We have selected Rosenvale Cabernet Sauvignon as the wine that best represents the unique qualities of the vineyard. The Cabernet comes from 40 year old vines and is planted in soil made up of loam over red clay with a gravelly mixed limestone through the sub soil. The vines are spur pruned by hand and are cropped at the relatively low yield of around 2 tonnes per acre. In contrast to these traditional pruning methods, the harvesting is done with the latest machinery, ensuring a harvest that is gentle on both the grapes and vines. This technique also permits the grapes to be delivered and processed without delay. The best-known Australian wine critic James Halliday scored the 2001 Rosenvale Cabernet 93 points out of a possible perfect 100, categorising it as an "excellent wine full of character, gold medal quality". James Halliday and industry experts agree that the 2002 vintage in the Barossa was much improved over 2001. Only 700 cases of this exceptional Cabernet were produced in 2002 and sells at the Rosenvale cellar door for A$28.00 or roughly £12.00. A strictly limited amount of this wine will be available in the United Kingdom. | 
