About Rosnay Organic Wines

Richard and Florence Statham, former woolgrowers, established Rosnay Organic Wines in 1995 after a long search for the ideal place in which start a new vineyard. Their long experience in farming has helped them find that place. They listened to good advice and did lots of study on their own before committing themselves to such a big move.

The move, when it came, was to Rosnay, eight kilometres south-west of Canowindra on the Belubula River, in the Cowra Wine Region, south of Orange. The estate lies on gentle slopes with good drainage and rich soils. It was the ideal place on which to begin their new venture, after having suffered the hardships of many droughts in their farming days.

They were joined by the eldest son, Sam, in 1997 after he worked on his geography degree in France and spent time on organic farms in New Zealand and also worked for the Department of Land and Water Conservation in Cowra.

The decision to go organic was a family one, after much learning and study of this special profession. They planted the first organic and biodynamic vines in 1997, which amounted to a total of 7-5 hectares of Chardonnay and Shiraz blocks. They used compost, lime, rock dust, and straw mulch as they planted to enrich the soils.

They added a further eight hectares of Cabernet, Merlot and Semillon in 1998, using cuttings from local vineyards and from some of the best South Australian stocks.

Finally they planted another four hectares of Shiraz from their own stocks. Now they grow more and more organic vines under contract for other growers and are part of Rivers Road Organic Farms.

Come along to their Cellar Door and sample their range of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Mataro, Merlot, Semillon and Shiraz and perhaps learn more about this special vineyard.