Rows are Red Roses running along the border of the grape vines, how lovely they looked! No, they aren't planted by the owners of these vineyards to make them look nice, they are planted as both Roses and Vines are susceptible to the same diseases.
Roses act as early warning of mildew which is a fungal disease. There are two main kinds. Powdery mildew sets on the grapes, then the fruit will not grow properly and will eventually split and rot. Downy mildew, which was brought over from American to Europe in the 19th century, attacks all the green parts of the vine and leave behind patches of oily stains on the surface making all the leaves will drop off.
When the disease is seen on the Rose bushes, it is an early warning to spray the vines with sulphur
to ensure healthy bushes and a good crop of Grapes.
Written Jul 23, 2012
Seppeltsfield and Palm trees are synonymous!
As you drive along Seppeltsfiedl road towards the Winery, you will notice both sides of the road are lined with Date Palms, 2000 to be exact! The Palms were planted during the Great Depression out of gratitude by the Seppeltsfield employees who had been kept on by the Seppelts at great cost.
What a lovely idea, and one that will be able to see for many years to come!
Written Jul 22, 2012
This is the name I saw on a Lutheran Church on the way to Seppeltsfield.
It was named "Gnadenfrei Lutheran Church." I wondered what this meant, as we were in the small town of Marananga.
It turns out, Gnadenfrei is the original german name of the village of Marananga in the Barossa Valley. Gnadenfrei was settled by pioneering families from Hahndorf, Bethany and Langmeil in the mid 1800s, who originally came from Silesia.
The original Gnadenfrei is located in the Owl Mountains southeast of Reichenbach and south of Breslau in the Oberpeilau region, orginally a part of Silesia and greater Germany.
The name Gnadenfrei means ('free by the Grace of God')
Now it all makes sense!
Written Jul 22, 2012
The German heritage of the Barossa Valley is very evident, as you can see by the high number of original German names. During this one day in the area, I met such names as Kaesler, Langmeil, Kies, or Mengler.
As far as I know, many people of German origin changed their names during the two World Wars to show that their loyalties were absolutely with Australia, but there are still many German names left, both family names and place names.
Updated Dec 24, 2011
The Barossa can get very hot in summer. What better way to relax after a few glasses of wine than to find a big gum tree and lay in it's shade?!
Written Feb 11, 2005
If the premium Orlando wines are available for tasting go for:
Lawsons
Centennary Hill
St Hugo
Failing that go
The Jacob's Creek Reserve should be good
Written Oct 20, 2003
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