Wine

The Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations’ program launched today at the National Wine Centre. From 1-20 October, festivalgoers will enjoy a range of degustation dinners, masterclasses, tastings, winery tours, and more. Festival highlights include the Coonawarra Golf Day, Pizza and Tunes at Raidis Estate, the International Cabernet Masterclass, as well as the longstanding Combined Wineries Cabernet Decade[nce] Tasting hosted by the Coonawarra Vignerons Association.

Hugh Schuitemaker. A Riverland grape grower has begun pulling his vines – describing it as a "nightmare" – amid uncertainty surrounding prices and a lack of supportive industry action. Renmark West-based grower Ray Hartigan, 80, said he could no longer justify the impacts of poor economic returns.

A new round of a vineyard resting trial that enables red wine grape growers to save up to $2,000 per hectare in input, water, and management costs, has opened today. The new trial will provide growers additional time to make diverse business decisions as the state’s wine industry continues to experience an oversupply of red wine grapes, following challenging market conditions and changing global preferences.

Hugh Schuitemaker. Riverland wineries to expand export opportunities would be an aim if the Liberal Party was successful at the next Federal Election, according to senior local politicians. Barker MP Tony Pasin last week toured Angove Family Winemakers, in Renmark, with federal opposition spokesperson for trade and tourism, Kevin Hogan, and Riverland-based MLC, and opposition spokesperson for regional South Australia, Nicola Centofanti.

Sebastian Calderon, Hugh Schuitemaker. New economic support for Riverland grape growers will fall short of what is necessary to overcome current industry challenges, according to the Riverland’s state MP ... "If I was a grape grower, I would like to know exactly what varieties do our global trading partners want, and what they don’t want is what we need to make the hard decisions on": Tim Whetstone.

Cellar Dwellers is underway in Coonawarra, with wine lovers invited to discover treasures from Coonawarra’s cellars during July. 2024 marks the 20th Anniversary of the month long event which offers a fabulous program of food and wine events and bespoke tasting experiences, designed to highlight the wonderful cellaring ability of Coonawarra’s world class wines.

Jason Perrin. "What scraps do we grape growers get from you? Just $3.5m. I guess it’s obvious the future security and survival of the Riverland, the Riverina and areas of the Murray Valley are not as important as a new rugby team in Papua New Guinea."

While the Riverland wine industry is battling through some of its darkest days, a local vineyard has offered a glimmer of light with a prestigious award win. Starrs Reach Vineyard, based at New Residence, won Innovative Vineyard of the Year at the Young Gun of Wine Annual Vineyard of the Year Awards last week, returning the trophy back to the Riverland after Ricca Terra won it in 2020.

South Australia’s world-class shiraz is currently being showcased on the global stage as part of the ‘Via Sensoria’ exhibition, running until November at the iconic world wine museum, La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux, France. This partnership ensures South Australian wines can be showcased to thousands of visitors to the centre each year, as well creating a platform for producers to conduct wine tastings...

The 2024 Coonawarra Vintage was declared open in smashing fashion ... with a crowd of over 60 people gathering at the iconic Coonawarra Siding to herald in the new season. The Vintage Launch Ceremony saw Coonawarra and district community members, wine industry stakeholders and dignitaries come together to acknowledge and celebrate this significant time in the region.

The 4th Annual Vineyard of the Year Awards list of Australia’s top winegrowers has just landed. The Vineyard of the Year Awards were created in 2020 to advance the regional identity of Australian wine and promote leading edge sustainability and innovation in winegrowing.

Wine and grape growers need to break with tradition in production methods as new studies identify yield and quality improvements can be achieved through changes which focus on soil health ... “It’s like a dead zone when you create that space of exposed bare earth between rows of vines,” says AgTech specialist and Bactivate CEO Mark Gabsch.

A Coonawarra cabernet sauvignon has claimed top honours at the Limestone Coast Wine Show, outclassing 443 other entries from 62 exhibitors. Yalumba’s 2021 Sanctum Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon won the Bill Redman Trophy for Best Wine of Show ... Chief of Judges Philip Rich said the winning red, which retails for under $30 a bottle, impressed from the outset.

Restoration of the Riverina’s largest woolshed and its conversion into a museum and major tourist attraction is gaining momentum, with locals hopeful they will officially own five acres of land containing old shearers’ quarters and sheds within weeks. Toganmain Station, located between Darlington Point and Carrathool, was established in 1867 as one of the first grazing properties in the region.

Even early removal of Chinese anti-dumping tariffs would not be enough to prevent Australia’s wine industry facing several years of oversupply, Rabobank says in its newly-released Wine Quarterly Q3 2023 report ... So large is the current oversupply, says Ms Piggott, that Australia has the equivalent of 859 olympic swimming pools worth of wine in storage.

The Coonawarra Wine industry, together with other representatives from the Limestone Coast Wine Region, have gathered to undertake a ‘post vintage tasting’ of over 100 wines from the 2023 Vintage.

South Australia has secured the hosting privileges to an international wine event which attracts major purchasers from across the globe, in a coup for the State. Adelaide will host the November 2026 International Masters of Wine Symposium, bringing together around 500 delegates from premier wine importing nations around the world.

A slice of paradise nestled in Welshman’s Reef on Dja Dja Wurrung country is home to magical panoramas and a charming winery that’s perfect for families and their furry friends. Panacea Estate is a recent addition to the thriving wine industry in the region and celebrated its harvest season with a family-friendly festival over the weekend.

South Korea’s flag carrier and largest airline, Korean Air, is taking South Australia’s premium wines to the air – now serving local drops on its flights. The deal secured by South Australia’s Department for Trade and Investment will see Dandelion Vineyards and Murdoch Hill Wines join Henschke as premium South Australia wine offerings on Korean Air flights.