Organic Shiraz Best in the Region - Expert

Canowindra Region 2012 Organic Vintage Report by Jason O'Dea, Family Member, General Manager and Viticultualist, Windowrie Estate

During 2012 vintage I looked at over 200 acres of Shiraz from within 100 miles of Canowindra and have no doubt in my mind the organic blocks were cleaner (ie had less disease) than conventional vineyards. I looked at 3 different organic vineyards and maybe 10 conventional vineyards

They had less Botrytis at harvest and better colour and structure in the finished wine. It was apparent across red varieties (Shiraz and Merlot and to a lesser extent Cabernet) but was not an issue for whites as it was dry during the white harvest.

A few observations:

Florence's Olive Snails with Puff Pastry

Very easy and moorish... Ideal for parties

Puff pastry
Olive paste
Organic capers
Milk
Parmesan

Thaw the frozen sheet of puff pastry and cut it in half
Spread a layer of olive paste onto it, just as you would on a sandwich
Sprinkle caper berries over it (plus anything else you like, eg chopped pickled halapenos!)
Roll it up into a long log
Repeat a few times and put them into the freezer for an hour (optional, it just helps to cut them nicely)
Preheat the over very hot (>220deg)
Remomve the logs from the freezer and brush a little milk on top/outside of them
Slice the logs 1mm thick
Lay them on an oiled baking tray
Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of each slice
Cook for 10-15 minutes
Optional - allow to dry but not overcook for 15 minutes in a cool oven (50deg-75deg)

May Olive Oil Promotion

We've had some great feedback on our olive oil. Its a cold pressed, unfiltered, biodynamic oil which is a great blend of the fruity Italian Corregiola olives, and the spicy Greek Kalamata olives. If you haven't had the opportunity to try our oil before, we are offering you a chance to purchase it during our May Promotion at 30% off normal price.

Or, if you purchase a case (dozen) of wine, we will throw in two 750ml bottles for free. And to go one better, if you purchase 2 cases of wine, we will give you a 4 litre tin, for free.

Share this with your friends, as you could always go halves in a case together.

2012 Organic Vintage Report

By Sam Statham

The dust, or rather the mud, has finally settled after a marathon 2012 vintage of Rosnay organic wines and figs, and so we have time to post a brief rundown:

The season was very mild, in fact we could hardly call it a summer as there was only 5 days over 35 degrees maximum, and only 22 days that got over 30 degrees. Meanwhile we had regular rain and we hardly needed to irrigate at all. The biggest issue early in the season was keeping the grass down and managing the rampant canopy growth in the Shiraz. The new Fischer mower did a fantastic job, as long as you dont push it too hard and chop through the occasional vine trunk with it. It has a sensor that tiggers the hydraulic mower heads to move around the vines and mow the weeds under them. For controlling the canopy of the Shiraz, which by December was nearly touching between the rows, we began with hedge shears, and then upgraded to a petrol hedge trimmer mounted on the front of the suzuki ute, which did a fantsastic job as long as you drove very carefully.

Like last vintage we had serious mildew pressure, but this time we kept on top of it with sulfur and vegetable oil, and we got through to Christmas without powdery mildew. It was not until after the Chardonnay was harvested that we found mildew on some on the foliage, but that no longer mattered much. Meanwhile the floods came and put a real dampener on our expectations, but the reds actually held up amazingly well, again reinforcing in our minds that organic and biodynamic methods are the best especially late in the season, as many non-organic vineyards in the region had to abandon their reds. Due to the late season disease pressure, I again will avoid drinking mass produced conventional reds from 2012, as plenty of spraying was necessary.

Looking back now, as a result of the mild season, the vines actually cropped very well, and the quality in some of the vineyards was the best we have ever had, especially the Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet.

These are my diary notes for the Rosnay 2012 Vintage:

Rosnay Sponsors the Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra

Rosnay is pleased to present its range of wines at the Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra Concert on Saturday, 31st March, 2012, to be held at the Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar School Auditorium, Upper Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe.  The Guest Artist is pianist Amir Farid.

During interval patrons will be served a selection of Rosnay wines.

Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra is widely recognised as one of Melbourne’s most acclaimed non-professional orchestras, enabling it to attract talented and elite musicians from throughout Melbourne.
For over three decades, the HSO has been a valuable community asset by providing a venue for non-professional musicians to play, and offering an exceptional series of concerts each year to members of the community.

Other 2012 Concert Dates:

• Saturday June 30, 8pm & Sunday July 1, 2.30pm  ‘On the Waterfront’, Guest Artist – Tristram Williams – Trumpet
• Saturday September 15, 8pm & Sunday September 16, 2.30pm  ‘Heroes and the Wild Wild West’, Guest Artist – The Ashton Smith Singers
• Saturday December 8, 8pm   ‘Germanic Masters’, Guest Artist – Natsuko Yoshimoto – Violin

Bookings can be made at:      www.heidelbergsymphony.com.au

Featured Restaurant - The Quarry

Anne and Paul Loveridge are the proprietors of The Quarry Restaurant and Cellar Door, situated 4.5kms from the Cowra Visitors Centre on the Booroowa Road. As Cowra's longest standing restaurant and cellar door, The Quarry offers wine tasting, great coffee from Art of Espresso, and delicious lunch and dinner menus focusing on local produce. The Quarry provides a memorable visit in a beautiful garden setting and is ideal for weddings and functions in the lovely shaded terrace and gardens.

The Cellar Door, open Tuesday to Sunday, offers tastings and sales of some of the best wines including wine from the oldest vineyard, Cowra Estate. Also on offer are award winning wines from Swinging Bridge, Rosnay Organic Wines, Mulyan, Spring Ridge, Kalari as well as The Quarry's own label. The Quarry also stocks local produce such as olive oil, olives, dressings and preserves from Rosnay Organic Farm, La Barre and Tall Poppy Gourmet.

Chefs Anne & Paul Loveridge are renowned in the region for their professional attitude to catering and have catered for the prestigious Cowra Wine Show Presentation Dinner every year for the past 26 years. Theirs is a a Modern Australian style centred on utilising the best of regional produce. Anne, who runs the front of house, is proud of her unique number of local wines available by the glass, approximately 20.

Rosnay is proud to be featured at The Quarry, where according to Anne, "We taste and sell more of the Rosnay wines than any other local vineyard, we also sell the complete range of Rosnay produce, and Rosnay wines are featured strongly in the restaurant by the glass and bottle."

Rosnay had a wine dinner at the Quarry in May 2010 and is planning to have another one in 2012.

Should you be planning a function at the Quarry and would like to add an extra dimension to your event, you may like to invite a representative of Rosnay to make a brief presentation. Either Richard or Sam Statham would be more than happy to present to your group on the organic viticulture and winemaking of the Rosnay wines.

Open Time
Cellar Door - Tuesday to Sunday 10am - 4pm.
Lunch from 12 noon Thursday - Sunday.
Dinner from 6.30pm Friday & Saturday

Address: 7191 Boorowa Road, Cowra NSW 2794
Telephone: 02 6342 3650
Fax: 02 6341 4191

Email: quarry@bigpond.net.au

Website: www.thequarryrestaurant.com.au

Flickerfest at Rosnay - Best of Australian Shorts Line up

In 2012, Flickerfest is celebrating:

• 21 years as Australia’s only Academy® Accredited and BAFTA recognised short film festival
• A record 2200 entries received
• A record 37 venue National Tour
• The calibre of this year’s program is undeniable with several films screening at some of the world’s most prominent and revered film festivals including Sundance and Cannes.

To be screened at Rosnay on 24 March, the Best Of Australian Shorts programme provides a platform that showcases our amazing Australian filmmaking talents.

For screening times and bookings visit this page..

Programme duration 113 minutes.

FISH & CHIPS
Australia/15 min/Video/2011
WRI/DIR: Anna Broinowski
PROD: Steve Kearney & Leanne Tonkes
When 10 year old Pauline Hanson goes on Chef of the Universe to cook against culinary geniuses Barry, Kim and Vlad, she breaks the rules – and turns the whole world upside down.
World Premiere

Flickerfest 2012 ends at Rosnay on 24 March!

Mark the date: Saturday 24 March is Flickerfest 2012 at Rosnay!

Its time to wrap your JAWS around some great bite sized chunks of cinema and a glass of great organic wine at FLICKERFEST 2012! Kicking off tonight at Bondi Beach, Sydney, it goes for 10 days then takes off on the annual national tour, culminating with the final screening under the stars at Rosnay! By the way, we have some spare tickets for both Sydney and the tour, so if you want to go as a Rosnay guest, call us!
This is the third year that Flickerfest's has screened at the Rosnay vineyard, projected onto the Pics in the Sticks outsdoor screen on the lawns in front of the Rosnay cellar door. Check out the tour trailer!

2012 Flickerfest prestented by ING DIRECT - Tour Trailer from Flickerfest on Vimeo.