Cabernet is king in Coonawarra
Coonawarra is located in the south eastern corner of South Australia – also known as the Limestone Coast. The GI region is 398 km2 in size and has a total of 5784 hectares of vineyards. Coonawarra experiences a maritime influence due to upwelling of cold ocean currents at certain times of the year.
The main varieties grown in the region are Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, and Chardonnay.
Coonawarra Regional Snapshot 2023-24
Regional Snapshots are one-page profiles updated annually of individual Australian wine regions. They provide at-a-glance summary statistics on: climatic characteristics, viticulture data, winegrape production, and winegrape price and export sales data for wine, compared against the same statistics for the whole of Australia.
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Cabernet Sauvignon
Coonawarra is considered to be the pre-eminent producer of Cabernet Sauvignon in Australia creating medium to full-bodied wines with cassis, blackberry, plum and dark cherry flavours. Firm but plush tannins the very best versions can age gracefully for decades.
Merlot
Does not have a long tradition in Coonawarra but has been a very successful blending partner for Cabernet Sauvignon and makes interesting, elegant varietal wine.
- Coonawarra experiences a maritime influence due to upwelling of cold ocean currents at certain times of the year
- Cold winters and cool summer night temperatures
- Consistent cloud cover contributes to temperature reduction
- A flat region famous for its terra rossa soils
- Thin iron-oxide based top soil over limestone