Coonawarra celebrated another successful Cellar Dwellers weekend, with people from near and far visiting the renowned wine region to be a part of the festivities.
The weekend began with the ‘Coonawarra Vignerons Back Vintage Regional Tasting’ on Friday night at Hollick Estates.
Coonawarra wineries came together to showcase the superior ageing ability of Coonawarra wines, with wines dating back as far as 1998.
People interacted with winemakers and vignerons to discover the ageing of wines, participated in a blind tasting session and attended a two-course dinner.
Coonawarra Vignerons executive officer Ockert Le Roux said over 60 guests attended, with people travelling from Melbourne, Adelaide and Mount Gambier along with Penola locals.
“I really enjoyed the evening, everyone was in a good mood, enjoyed the good wines, there was quite an impressive line-up of wine,” Mr Le Roux said.
“You could see that interaction was brisk and it was chirpy and was cheerful and everyone had a good evening.”
Rymill Coonawarra ventured to Mount Gambier’s Commodore on the Park, where a three-course dinner was hosted and Rymill wines were paired with delicious Limestone Coast produce.
Rymill Coonawarra winemaker Lewis White said it was a great night, the food was fantastic and guests enjoyed the food and wine.
“The wines I think were shown really well, it was just a pretty casual evening,” Mr White said.
“It was really good for our viticulturalists to be able to get out and talk to people and answer questions about the vineyards.”
Katnook Estate hosted ‘Yoga in the Stables’, where a yoga class was held by Laura Earl from The Nourish Nook followed by an afternoon tea of sweet and savoury treats prepared by Coonawarra’s Chardonnay Lodge, paired with Katnook Estate wine.
Katnook Estate cellar door manager Naomi McShane said she was really happy with how everything went and all participants enjoyed the session.
“All the feedback was that if they were around next year they would definitely do it again,” Ms McShane said.
“Everyone loved it and they all complimented Laura that she was very professional and she runs a beautiful class.”
The Blok Coonawarra held their traditional High Tea with homemade sweets, savouries and scones with Ann Trotter’s famous Cabernet Jam accompanied by a pot of tea and a glass of wine.
The Blok Coonawarra owner and winemaker Luke Trotter said it was another successful High Tea.
“It was great to have people come through the cellar door that are dedicated to searching out some aged treasures in the wines,” Mr Trotter said.
“We had some regular faces, new faces and we’re looking forward to the rest of the month and welcoming everyone into the region.”
At Parker Coonawarra Estate, ‘Luxury Lamb and Vintage Wines- Cooking with Cindy Cross’ was held.
Cindy Bunt from the Post and Rail guided attendees to cook a four-course feast and shone a spotlight on local and gourmet produce, with three cuts of Benmore Hampshire Downs Lamb the star of the menu.
“We all cook it then we all get to share it and eat it and there’s this lovely magic that happens in that process,” she said.
“By the time we’re finished we’re all laughing, we have all shared an experience and then we all share the food, which is sharing the love at the end of the day.”
Ms Bunt gave a big shout out to Parker Coonawarra Estate.
Wynn’s Estate held their ‘Degustation Dinner with Mayura Station,’ with fine wine and food in the historical Wynns Coonawarra Cellar where wines were matched with Mayura Station’s ‘paddock to plate’ experience.
Upcoming events include a ‘Coonawarra @ Heart Masterclass’ at Katnook Estate, ‘Musing in the Museum’ and ‘Better with Age’ at Zema Estate, ‘Hidden Gems- Cabernet’ at Brands Laira, ‘Parker x Producer’ at Parker Coonawarra Estate and ‘Yalumba the Menzies Winemaker’s Lunch’ at Yalumba.
