WINE COUNTRY
South Australia’s little strip of terra rossa has so much more to offer than its famed cabernet sauvignon, discovers SAMANTHA PAYNE.
Coonawarra, SA.
Coonawarra has long been defined by its 27-kilometre-long strip of terra rossa soil, the rich red earth in which some of the country’s best cabernet sauvignon is grown. In an area where traditionally cabernet is king, Coonawarra is experiencing new life and vibrancy thanks, in part, to the recent pandemic.
“Covid last year allowed a lot of people to rethink their businesses and use the time wisely to upgrade cellar doors and reopen restaurants with a new vibe,” says winemaker and co-owner of Raïdis Estate, Emma Raïdis. Lockdowns around the country forced a local South Australian tourism focus. Locals usually stick to wine regions closer to Adelaide but extended border closures drove them to explore further afield, such as Coonawarra.
“People are shocked by the quality of the white wines here and how much more we have to offer
than just cabernet; we sell out of our whites early every year,” says Raïdis.
But that’s not to discount the quality and diversity in the red grape varieties, adds Wynns Coonawarra Estate winemaker Sue Hodder. “At Wynns, our heritage is based around shiraz and cabernet, there’s still so much to explore in these varieties. The landscape is changing with climate change, and we’re exploring different cabernet clones, using biodiversity in how we help our vineyards adapt to these changes.”
The crux of this new Coonawarra story is this meeting of both historic sites and the contemporary wines that are also being developed here. “If we want to tell a significant chapter of the wine story well – we need to do the work now to protect what’s in the ground and protect our legacy,” says Hodder.
Nuance and diversity of regions is the most beautiful thing about the Australian wine story and something we should celebrate. “I think it’s easy to pigeon hole and say ‘Coonawarra is just one monotonous thing – a block of cabernet’,” says Sophie Otton, one of Australia’s leading sommeliers and co-owner of wine bar She Loves You.
“We mustn’t sideline what came before – there’s a lot that can be learnt from both by respecting and preserving what came before but also not being frightened to shake things up.”