Visiting Coonawarra

"Matthew Crosby" asked of the collective wisdom of the group....

Matt - firstly, the obvious - I note that you're posting from New York city.

May I respectfully suggest that you buy a map!

Australia is a big place, geographically around the same size as the USA (excl Alaska)

If you are driving from Sydney to Melbourne, you will not be going near Coonawarra - not without making a serious detour - and McLaren Vale is even further away.

Contemplating driving from NSW to Victoria via south Australia is like driving from NYC to Chicago - via Atlanta!

May I suggest this link as an excellent reference to Australian wine regions in general - you can select Connawarra (or McLaren Vale.)

Coonawarra is not a large area - if you go there for two days you can see most of everything - and believe me, apart from wine, there is not a lot else to see.

No doubt, some of the Australians in the group may have more to advise.

Eh...how embarrassing. I meant to type _Adelaide_ to Melbourne. I should confess I've that despite my current New York address I've got an Emu and Kangaroo on the front of my passport and have done the Melbourne Sydney drive a number of times (though never the Adelaide->Melbourne). But, perhaps I should pretend to be a clueless tourist for the fun value. Lets see, I figure I can do a day trip to Perth, Darwin and Cairns from there, right? Do they have cars? Will I be able to avoid the drop bears?

Thanks. Actually, one of the things that looks nice about Coonawarra (apart from being almost half way between _Adelaide_ and Melbourne) is it looks quite compact. I'm not familar with a number of the wineries there and was curious as to which ones are worth a trip, given we'll probably have a bit more then half a day there...

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ...and before someone else posts pointing out _this_ inconsistency, I should has said in the original message, "I'm taking a couple of days to drive". Sigh, I guess I was in too much of a hurry or something.

And since I probably should actually talk about wine here rather then wasting any more of your bandwith:

One of my more interesting recent wines was a 1997 Terre Rouge Pyramid Block Syrah from Shenandoah valley, California. I bought this ages ago after having it at a restaurant (on a Sommolier's reccomendation) and decided to give it a try. Anyway, I found it quite delightful, with a distinct earthy taste that I honestly don't expect to get in most Californian (or, for that matter Australian) wines. (I actually wonder if it's got some mouvedre in it). Probably my inexperience, but If you'd given it to me blind I would have guessed it as European.

As I get older, both my wife and I have found we are really getting into wine that have a taste of earth, especially if they also don't hit you over the head with lots and lots of fruit. I've been going through some of the more obscure French appellations recently as I've found that on the whole, European wines are often more likely to fit this description. I can't pretend to be an expert, but I always like trying new wines, especially ones a little off the beaten track. If one likes earthiness, what do people like?

I find that a moderate amount of "earthiness" is very nice in a red. Many Burgs exhibit this, and, as a result, pair well with truffles and mushrooms. This is a pairing that I personally fancy.

I've also found this element in reds from the Northern Rhone, though maybe not to the degree as with the Burgs. Some WA/OR PNs also exhibit this element, though I find too many are over-oaked for my palete.

That said, I also seriously enjoy fruit-forward examples of the above varietals, provided that they are in balance.

Hunt

You might want to give California Petit Syrah a try. Earth and leather seem to be charactaristic of this varietal.

Jose

Hi,

I was in McClare Vale a few years ago. My wife's Australian friend from college showed us around. I went to the following wineries:

Elderton--Wonderful Command shiraz. Wirra Wirra--I really enjoyed their cabernets Chapel Hill--The wine was good, especially the shiraz. However, I really like the photo opportunities. The wineries is in an old chapel. Also, they have a room full off wine barrels that presented a lot of photo opportunities. Wirilda--The wine was great, but the cafe was really good.

I hope that assist you. Are you going to stay in Adelaide? Have a great time.

Chris

"Christopher Mason" wrote .............

With the greatest of respect, Christopher, if you visited Chapel Hill and Wirra Wirra you were in McLaren Vale.

I only mention this because the Clare Valley is also a significant but totally separate winemaking region also in South Australia.

Been a number of years since I visited Coonawarra, so my recommendations are not influenced by landscape, beauty, restaurants et al tourist type influences. I am simply recommending some wineries who have outstanding wines...:>)

Bowen Estate make great Chardonnay , Shiraz and Cabernet. Katnook Estate, Cabernets Majella, renowned for their Cabs, but if you can taste the 2003 Shiraz, don't miss it. Leconfield has a good range Lindemans (huge) but may be avoided if you are looking for "off the beaten track" wines. Rouge Homme, Shiraz Cab blends and lovely Cabs. S.Kidman, Sid ALWAYS has a ripper Cab. Rymill have consistent quality in both Shiraz & Cabs.

There are a number of other wineries in this region that may be worth a visit.

Balnaves, Brands, Hollick, Parker, Redman (have lots of museum wines), Zema Estate,

Coonawarra is most famed for their Cabernets, but as in any wine region, some wineries will produce exceptional 'other' varietals.

Have a great trip...:>)

hooroo....