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.
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Coonawarra Regional Snapshot 2022-23
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.
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- 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
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- A flat region famous for its terra rossa soils
- Thin iron-oxide based top soil over limestone