Wynns Coonawarra Estate

Located on Memorial Drive in Coonawarra, South Australia, Wynns Coonawarra Estate is housed in a three-gabled limestone building constructed in 1896, which has become one of Australia’s most recognisable wine-making facilities. It is the oldest and largest estate in the region, and the producer that put Coonawarra on the map for Australian wine lovers.

History

Scottish pioneer John Riddoch planted the first vines here in 1891, recognising the potential of a narrow strip of terra rossa in the far south-east of South Australia. He completed the construction of the three-gabled winery in 1896, but following his death in 1901, the region faced difficulties for fifty years. In 1951, Melbourne wine merchants Samuel and David Winn bought the then-derelict estate, known as Château Comaum, and gave it a new name and identity. David took over the management of the winery in 1953 and became the first winemaker in Australia to use the word ‘estate’ to denote the regional origin of the wine. The Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon, first produced in 1954, became the first Cabernet Sauvignon in Australia to be released under a commercial brand. Wynns changed hands several times before becoming part of Treasury Wine Estates, to which it still belongs today. Sue Hodder has held the position of senior winemaker since 1998.

Vineyards, terroir and grape varieties

Wynns cultivates around 500 hectares of vineyards, making the company the largest owner of terra rossa vineyards in Coonawarra. Terra rossa, a thin layer of red, iron-rich loam over porous limestone, is well-drained, warms up quickly in spring and maintains the moderate conditions of a cool climate, which provide Coonawarra with a long and consistent ripening period.

The main variety is Cabernet Sauvignon, alongside Shiraz, Merlot, Riesling and Chardonnay.

Winemaking and wines

Each plot is managed and monitored individually using soil mapping and vineyard monitoring techniques developed in collaboration with viticulturist Allen Jenkins.

The range extends from the entry-level ‘Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon’, which has been the benchmark for the region since 1954, through the ‘White Label’ range, which includes Shiraz, Chardonnay, Riesling and a blend of Cabernet, Shiraz and Merlot, to the estate’s iconic wines.

The estate’s two flagship wines are ‘John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon’, first produced in 1982 and released only in exceptional vintages from less than 1% of the finest grapes, and ‘Michael Shiraz’, the best wine of the vintage, named after David Winn’s son. Single-vineyard wines, including ‘Harold Cabernet Sauvignon’, ‘Johnson’s Block Cabernet Sauvignon’ and the ‘V&A Lane’ range, round out the top tier of the portfolio.