Our Story
Where did it all start?
In 1993 Peter, an Optometrist and Sharyn, a Midwife bought 25 acres of land at historic Seppeltsfield in the Barossa Valley.
They planned to establish a vineyard where vines had first been planted in the mid 1800s and renovate the adjacent early settlers cottage as an exclusive vineyard retreat for two.
10 acres of vines were planted in 1999 and our journey into the amazing world of viticulture had begun!
Why make wine?
In July 2002 Peter developed a serious illness. This is probably not the most conventional reason for deciding to make wine!
For us however, it was one of those life changing experiences where suddenly there is a realisation there may be limited time to achieve the things we dreamed of.
After six months of treatment, where at one point Peter’s specialist commented “...the aim of the treatment is to cure the illness without killing you...” we decided that from the 2003 vintage we would make a wine and it would be a Rosé.
Why a Rosé?
We chose to make a Rosé for two reasons. The first being that Peter had developed a love for Rosé in his university days and had always believed it to be the perfect wine for our Australian climate and lifestyle. The second was a little more pragmatic....we didn't know if he would live long enough to see a wine mature in barrel!
Why Seize the Day?
After Peter's treatment, a friend gave him American Lance Armstrong's book "It's not About the Bike". Lance is a cancer survivor. After completing his treatment, Lance decides to make the most of whatever time he has left, whether it be days or years and declares "Carpe Diem..Seize the Day". He went on to win seven consecutive Tour de France bike races.
The nice part of this story is that we have had many subsequent vintages, including wines maturing in barrel and Peter is healthy and able to enjoy the success these wines have brought us.
We hope our story gives hope and inspiration to the many people who are touched on a daily basis with the same issues we have been.
Looking for Barossa Valley accommodation? Stay at Seppeltsfield Vineyard Cottage, a vineyard retreat for two.
