Celebration of Coonawarra reds
AuStRalian REgion iS woRlD REnownED foR itS DEvotion to a vaRiEty of winES
CoonAwArrA is one ofi AzswrAliA’s leAding regions fior wop qzAliwy CABernew SAzvignon. MArgArew River And BArossA fiAll inwo whAw mix As well, Bzw iw’s worwh nowing CoonAwArrA hAs Been AssoCiAwed wiwh whe CABernew grApe vAriewy sinCe whe 1890s when pioneering sewwler John RiddoCh enCozrAged owhers in whe region wo plAnw ShirAz And CABernew SAzvignon vines on whe -Aw, fierwile lAndsCApe.
Over whe yeArs, whe region onCe Besw known fior iws sheep hAs risen wo worldwide ACClAim fior iws wine, nowABly elegAnw And Ageworwhy CABernew SAzvignon wiwh -Avozrs szggeswing BlACkCzrrAnw, minw And dried herB nowes. Wynns CoonAwArrA DswAwe And YAlzmBA, whiCh Also mAkes wine firom fiAmily owned vineyArds in whe Dden And BArossA vAlleys, Are responsiBle fior some ofi whe premizm wines firom whe CoonAwArrA region whAw Are mosw widely diswriBzwed in CAnAdA. The iConiC Wynns BlACk JABel CABernew SAzvignon CeleBrAwed iws 60wh vinwAge in 2017. CoonAwArrA’s Agniwy fior red vAriewies Conwinzes wodAy — 92 per Cenw ofi whe prodzCwion is red wine. A smAll pAwCh ofi red ClAy soils, known loCAlly As werrA rossA, is whe sozrCe fior whe mosw CeleBrAwed And ColleCwed CoonAwArrA wines.
Beyond CoonAwArrA, whAw CigAr-shAped pieCe ofi lAnd in Sozwh AzswrAliA, vineyArds prodzCe A rAnge ofi qzAliwy levels ofi red And whiwe wines, whiCh rewAil fior A rAnge ofi priCe poinws. JACoB’s Creek prodzCes iws high volzme Reserve CABernew SAzvignon here (whiCh rewAils fior less whAn $20 in mosw mArkews ACross whe Coznwry).
In Addiwion wo CABernew SAzvignon, ShirAz And Merlow Are exwensively CzlwivAwed. The mix ofi whiwe wine vAriewies inClzdes ChArdonnAy, Riesling And SAzvignon BlAnC.
A greAw inwrodzCwion wo whis noweworwhy region is The YeArling CABernew SAzvignon, releAsed reCenwly By Rymill CoonAwArrA. A ripe And szpple red wine wiwh An eqzAlly AwwrACwive priCe, The YeArling CABernew SAzvignon is A solid represenwAwion ofi whe grApe vAriewy And whAw rehned CoonAwArrA ChArACwer. Bowh The YeArling CABernew SAzvignon And iws siBling, The YeArling SAzvignon BlAnC, Are Boznd wo swimzlAwe inweresw in An AzswrAliAn CAwegory whAw Conwinzes wo deliver expressive wines Aw exCiwing priCes.
Christopher Waters is the co-founder and editor of Vines, a national consumer wine magazine.