by koonara | Sep 21, 2022 | Blog
September update from Dru and Nicole
Spring has finally sprung. With it comes the lovely warm, sunshiny weather followed by a downpour, wind, and sunshine again.
We have just commenced pruning here in our Coonawarra vineyards. It’s a bit different down in Mt Gambier. Pruning was completed a little while ago, as Chardonnay bursts much earlier than Cabernet, so it is well and truly bursting out now, ready to flourish after its big winter sleep.
Now, we are constantly monitoring the weather forecast keeping an eye out for the threat of frost. But by pruning late, that should safeguard us quite well.
Not sure if you saw back at the start of the Month, we were awarded 94 points for our latest release, 2019 Ambriels Gift Cabernet Sauvignon in the James Halliday Wine Companion.
They said, and I quote –
“Firm, concentrated and engagingly lush… this has a veritable forest of dark berries, shaped by firm structuring tannins and laden with exotic spice. It’s classic Coonawarra – the mint, dark choc, and blackberry bramble on the nose are a dead giveaway, confirmed in the mouth. A lovely lingering aftertaste offers even more opportunity to taste. Smart.” – Erin Larkin.
To say we were pleased was an understatement!
Nicole’s been driving kids around a lot, so she hasn’t been reading us much but using the time to listen to some great audiobooks. She loved Daisy Jones and the Six, (even though she was surprised when she couldn’t find their music on spotify coz it’s a made-up story, haha). Of course, I’ve been reading more books about Mental Health and also some about regenerative farming. Books are a great way to inspire change and boost your mood.
We were lucky to dust off our passports a couple of weeks ago and head over to Bali for a great family holiday. We enjoyed lots of bike riding, Qi Gong, walking, and of course, lots of cocktails, fantastic food, massages and relaxation by the pool. It was so great to hear some different languages, meet people from all over the world, and see the world return to normal.
We have also been busy planning our Cabernet Celebration dinner in the cellar door as a part of the Month long Cabernet Celebrations in October here in the Coonawarra. There is an excellent program of events and so much to see and do. It’s a wonderful time to visit the region.
Till next month,
Dru & Nicole Reschke
All the other bits
Wine of the Month
Zema Estate – Family Selection
Demetrio Zema made our first ever wine in 1992. This is their flagship wine from aged vines in Coonawarra. I opened a bottle from 2005 recently, and it was off the charts amazing. The world’s truly great wines are amazing at any age, and these show that quality.
Recipe of the Month
Szechuan Spicy Chicken
Each month we trawl thru our recipe books to show you just how easy it is to match our wine of the month with regular everyday food. This month it’s all about our Flowers for Lucy Moscato and you had better believe it’s a great match for this Szechuan Spicy Chicken. Find the recipe here
If you want a more traditional pairing for the Moscato be sure to check out this Summer Berry trifle recipe.
2 mins to do good –
It’s time for clean air, a safer climate and healthier communities. It’s time for cheaper fuel and energy independence. It’s time to Electrify Everything. First stop: transport. To ensure clean transport for Australia our government must quickly legislate for strong fuel efficiency standards in line with other major markets.
To sign the petition click here
Upcoming Events
Cabernet Celebrations Dinner
Come along and celebrate Koonara’s tribute to Cabernet Sauvignon as part of this year’s Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations. Enjoy a three-course dinner by renowned chef Kirby Shearing with a selection of current vintage and museum wines. Dru and Nicole will walk you through our Koonara journey in the relaxed setting of our cellar door. For more information, click here
WHEN | Friday 21st October 6:30pm
WHERE | Koonara Wines Cellar Door, 44 Church Street, Penola
TICKETS | $120.00 per person, which includes a 3-course meal and matched current and museum wine selections
Cabernet Celebrations
Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations is one of our best wine-based events, with over 70 unique food and wine experiences designed to showcase and celebrate the Coonawarra wine region’s beautiful signature red wine: Cabernet Sauvignon.
Enjoy the spring-time celebrations across the month of October, with every week/weekend featuring themed events. With a huge range of wineries offering up events all month long, there is no shortage of activities to celebrate, activate and educate your senses.
As an added bonus, there will be shuttle buses running to help get you safely to the wineries and the events on the weekends. For more information and to book a spot on the bus, click here
Should Have Hired a Car Tour
Anne Fraser, Poppy Moyle-Read and Andy Penkow, come together to share their songs and stories as a part of their Should have hired a car tour. For more information, click
here
WHEN | Friday 7th October September 7.30pm
WHERE |Coonawarra Memorial Hall
TICKETS | $25 per person
Dunkeld Races
Our Platinum Marquee is located in the premium trackside infield location, this marquee is suited for those guests looking for a superior day of racing, elegance and fun. Tickets are $205 which includes general admission to the racecourse, all-inclusive gourmet finger food as well as premium wine and beers and live entertainment. To book or to find out more click here
by koonara | Aug 16, 2022 | Blog
An update from Dru and Nicole
Nicole here, I thought it was my turn to give you all an update on what been going on here at Koonara. I guess I should start with the obvious that we are nearly at the end of winter. I have begun to feel a slight spring in my step with the days getting just that bit longer and the warmth of the winter sun on my skin.
At the moment, the vineyards are undertaking an extensive rejuvenation process, a little bit like checking into the Endota Day Spa for a full body scrub and peel. We are removing old wood to increase sap flow, eutypa control, and to prepare the vines for pruning.
The vines are indulging in well-deserved R & R in what can only be described as ideal conditions. Warm sunny days after frosty starts coupled with on and off again rain.
Dru tells me we will be applying some basalt to the soil. Basalt brings much-needed micro-nutrients to the soil and helps the vines uptake other nutrients. By Spring, they will be zingy with eagerness for bud burst.
I’m currently reading The Downstairs Girl. I’m always looking to Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club for my reading inspiration, and I’m very rarely let down. I’m halfway through this and really enjoying it. It’s about a Chinese American girl growing up in segregated Atlanta. I lived in South Carolina for a year when I was 20, so this part of the world is very dear to me. So far, it’s a really compelling story about a driven and resourceful young lady.
Alice and I left Dru and Lucy to it the other weekend. We headed off to Shepparton so Alice could compete with her Calisthenics team at a competition. Whilst it was a lot of driving, it was worth it as her team came away with the Aggregate, which means they were pretty gosh darn awesome!
Till next month,
Dru & Nicole Reschke
All the other bits
Ecologi Update
Because we really want to make a difference. For every $15.00 spent on wine between now and September 4th, the folks at Ecologi will plant a tree on your behalf.
You can check out your contribution when you log into your account. There’s a section called “My Forest” that shows just how many trees your wine purchase has contributed towards.
Over on Instagram
We have been having quite a bit of fun with these new fang dangled reel things on Instagram. Be sure to go and have a watch.
Album of the Month
Maggie Rogers – Surrender
This Artist will grow on you. She snuck up on me, and before I realised it, she was on about 10 of my playlists. Not quite as good as her previous album, but again, she creeps up on you, so hopefully, I’ll be proven wrong.
Wine of the Month
A beautiful, elegant, balanced Chardonnay – Grown by the Pinot and Chardonnay obsessed John & Bronwyn Calvert from the famed sourdough and granola of the same name. I’m afraid you’ll have to go on the waitlist if you want to get your hands on a bottle.
Recipe of the Month
Mushroom Risotto
Each month we trawl thru our recipe books to show you just how easy it is to match our wine of the month with regular everyday food. At this time of year, it’s hard to go past something so earthy, rich and warm. Believe it or not, it’s also a great match for our Pete Said No Pinot Noir as well.
Find the recipe here
2 mins to do good –
World leaders will gather again at the UN meeting in New York for the final round of negotiations to decide the fate of our oceans.
We need Australia’s Environment and Water Minister, Tanya Plibersek to help protect our oceans by attending in person. Will you email Tanya and urge her to show up at this crucial time?
Upcoming Events
Cellar Door In the City
Join us in August as we pack up the wines and head around the nation so you can taste the best that Coonawarra has to offer. Check out where we will be and the full program here
TICKETS | $65+ BF Includes entry, souvenir wine glass, 3 hours of wine tastings, meet the winemaker and complimentary food offering
Pink Drink Society Launch party
Treat yourself to a fabulous, fun, well-deserved night out thanks to Thyme at The Lakes and Koonara Wines and help us celebrate the launch of our PINK DRINK society! A society dedicated to our beautiful Pink Drinks. For more information, click here
WHEN | Friday 16th September from 6 pm
WHERE | Thyme at the Lakes, Mount Gambier
TICKETS | Earlybird tickets are just $70.00 per person until 26th August.
INCLUSIONS | Glass of wine on arrival, canapes during the night, entertainment and a $5 donation to Spare Ya Change for Kids.
Should Have Hired a Car Tour
Anne Fraser, Christy and Jason Wallace and Andy Penkow, come together to share their songs and stories as a part of their Should have hired a car tour. For more information, click here
WHEN | Friday 7th October September 7.30pm
WHERE |Coonawarra Memorial Hall
TICKETS | $25 per person
Dunkeld Races
Our Platinum Marquee is located in the premium trackside infield location, this marquee is suited for those guests looking for a superior day of racing, elegance and fun.
Tickets are $205 which includes general admission to the racecourse, all-inclusive gourmet finger food as well as premium wine and beers and live entertainment.
To book or to find out more click here
Upcoming Wine days
TODAY Thursday 18th August – International Pinot Noir Day its ok we have you covered with a great range of Pinot Noirs.
Try our Pete Said No or our Cape Banks Razortooth Pinot
by koonara | Aug 8, 2022 | Blog
An update from Dru and Nicole
Goodness gracious me, how is it time for another update? But here we are halfway thru the year already. Smack bang in the middle of winter; having said that, it won’t be long before the sunshine is once again upon us and the vineyard starts budding.
We were lucky enough to have some uni students from Roseworthy Agricultural College come for a wander, as well as the good folks at Mulbarton Compost to learn more and better understand the ecosystem in our vineyard.
We have also welcomed some visiting goats to our vineyard. We have found goats eat a bit more than sheep, so we have them grazing away to get the tough grasses right down, which will allow us to plant more flowers in the vineyard. Safe to say, they are doing exactly what we want, but I’ll keep you updated.
I finished reading Dirt to Soil (from last month) and have started reading it again as well as some other great books. I’m well into Immunity to change and have stolen focus next on my list. 
It’s school holidays here in South Australia so we snuck off to Melbourne for the weekend. I hosted a tasting at one of our stockists Friday night before a fun-filled weekend of family stuff. We took the girls to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. If you haven’t already been, do yourself a favour and book tickets. It’s AMAZING.
And finally, we were lucky enough to meet baby Della when Caitlin popped into the cellar door a few weeks ago. Caitlin and Della are doing well, and it was great seeing them both.
2 mins to do good – Update
So it’s been a while in the making, but we are really pleased to update you on the launch our partnership with Ecologi. What this means is for every $25.00 you spend with us at Koonara, we will plant a tree.
Now obviously not us personally because then we’d never have any time to make the wine or do the things – but by working with Ecologi we can actually make a real difference.
You’ll have noticed when you log into your account, you’ll see a section called “My Forest” here, you can track your tree planting contribution.
So I guess you could go as far as to say that drinking wine is now good for the environment!
Over on Instagram
We have been having quite a bit of fun with these new fang dangled reel things on Instagram. Be sure to go and have a watch.
Recipe of the Month
Winter is about decadence and keeping warm, so it’s hard to go past a good old-fashioned chocolate self-saucing pudding at this time of year. The best thing is it pairs perfectly with our wine of the month – The Golden Orb Shiraz which is also equally decadent and wintery.
Find the recipe here
Upcoming Events
Cellar Door In the City
Join us in August as we pack up the wines and head around the nation so you can taste the best that Coonawarra has to offer. Check out where we will be and the full program here
TICKETS | $65+ BF Includes entry, souvenir wine glass, 3 hours of wine tastings, meet the winemaker and complimentary food offering
Dunkeld Races
Our Platinum Marquee is located in the premium trackside infield location, this marquee is suited for those guests looking for a superior day of racing, elegance and fun.
Tickets are $205 which includes general admission to the racecourse, all-inclusive gourmet finger food as well as premium wine and beers and live entertainment.
To book or to find out more click here
Upcoming Wine days
Get your highlighter ready, and mark the following wine days on your calendar, so you can be well-stocked and ready to celebrate!
Thursday 28th July – International Shiraz Day
by koonara | Aug 5, 2022 | Blog
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From Team Koonara
by Koonara Team | Jun 16, 2022 | Blog
An update from Dru and Nicole
As always here is a monthly update on all the goings-on here at Koonara Wines. Our 2022 vintage is well and truly wrapped up. Where have the last few months gone? I have no idea. Unlike the rest of Australia, for most of our growing season it was dry as toast here, allowing us to dribble the water on the vines to keep tonnes low but the quality high.
We did do two mineral sprays, but upon reflection, I’m starting to realise we don’t need them. What we do need is to increase the diversity of grasses and flowers in our vineyard to help grow microbiology in the soil.
With every vintage and year that passes, it’s a great chance to reflect and look back on what worked and what we can improve on.
I’m thirsty for knowledge and so I’ve been reading the book by Gabe Brown “Dirt to Soil.” There are a lot of key takeaways and I’m definitely filling in the knowledge gaps. I’ll keep you updated with everything that I learn.
I know I’m like a broken record but let me tell you this year’s vintage looked exceptional and I am very much looking forward to the finished product! Quietly confident you will love what we have produced too.
Speaking of new release wines (sneaky segue) the good news is you won’t have to wait long as we are ready and raring to go. You may have seen our 2022 Lucy and Alice Pinot Gris was released last week and keep your eyes peeled next week for our 2022 Emily May Rose.
In other news, we have welcomed Chicago Smith to the team. She joins us to take over Caitlin’s role as she heads off on maternity leave. We are very excited about having Chicago’s energy in our team and meeting Caitlin’s new bubba soon.
We are also busy putting the final touches on our plans for Cellar Dwellers which kicks off in July – a month-long celebration of all things wine as we all dig deep and dust off our back vintages for you to try and buy.
Share the Dignity update
For those of you unaware we wanted to try something a bit different for Mother’s Day this year. So we pledged to donate 10% of our sales in the lead-up to Mother’s Day to the Share the Dignity campaign. Check out how much we raised here
2 mins to do good
The AGL demerger is poised to set back Australia once again on its Paris climate targets. AGL is Australia’s biggest polluter, and the demerger is set to offload assets that are hurting its reputation. Find out how you can help by clicking
here
Recipe of the Month
Red Wine & Chocolate Braised Lamb Shanks
This delicious dish is perfect with both of our family reserve red wines. With the rich chocolate tones and the melt-in-your-mouth lamb – it’s the perfect dish for a winter’s weekend. Jump to the recipe here
May I suggest this playlist while you make it
Wine of the Month
Deep Woods Reserve Chardonnay 2018
A few years of age on a great Chardy makes it sing, and this one was ready to drink. Once again, Jules Langworthy with the Midas touch making some gold. You can buy it here or lock in a more recent vintage and save it for future you to enjoy here.
Artist of the Month
Mallrat – Butterfly Blue
Australian singer-songwriter Grace Shaw is an Indie upstart slowly seeping into the mainstream. She has just released this new album that needs a few listens. It’s super likable. Check it out
here. For a way better review of her album check out
this article
Upcoming Events
Cellar Dwellers
Join us this July for the Coonawarra Cellar Dwellers events. We have some tasty offerings planned this year and we think you’ll love them. Find out what we are up to
here.
Cellar Door In the City
Join us in August as we pack up the wines and head around the nation so you can taste the best that Coonawarra has to offer. Check out where we will be and the full program here
Dunkeld Races
Our Platinum Marquee is located in the premium trackside infield location, this marquee is suited for those guests looking for a superior day of racing, elegance and fun.
Tickets are $205 which includes general admission to the racecourse, all-inclusive gourmet finger food as well as premium wine and beers and live entertainment.
To book or to find out more click here
Upcoming Wine days
Get your highlighter ready, and mark the following wine days on your calendar, so you can be well-stocked and ready to celebrate!
Friday 24th June – National Rose Day
Thursday 28th July – International Shiraz Day
by koonara | Jan 17, 2022 | Blog
We know how hard it can be to pair food and wine so we thought we’d help you out a bit. We have been working behind the scenes with our resident foodie to create a recipe that is a perfect match for our Emily May Rose. All you need to do is hit up the shops for your supplies, cook and enjoy.
Our goal is to share with you something that is quick and easy and can be prepared with minimal fuss. We are confident this ticks those boxes. So without further delay let me introduce to you our Asian Pork Belly Skewers with Mango Slaw. We can’t wait to get your feedback on this one.
You can find the recipe here ➡ Asian Pork Belly Skewers with Mango Slaw
