Boutique Coonawarra Winery and Organic Vineyard
A Family Owned Organic Vineyard and Winery in Coonawarra.
We produce a range of high quality award winning wines. In 2019 we were awarded James Halliday’s 5 star Black Winery and The Real Review Certificate of Excellence, placing us among the best wineries of Australia. Today myself (Dru), Nicole and our girls live in the family homestead surrounded by our vineyards.
Visit us at our Cellar Door, or Order our Wine Online!
WINES OF THE MONTH
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Sale
QuickviewLive Wine Tasting 3 Pack
Live Tasting Night, Monthly Wines, Our WineJoin our fun and interactive live wine tasting evening! We’re bringing our Coonawarra cellar door to you, as we stream live on Facebook into your lounge room, Thursday 5 September 8pm (ACST time).
This is your chance to ask questions to Dru our owner and winemaker. Discover why we champion organics, why we produce wines low in sulphur and sugar, and find the perfect food match for each wine.$85.00$70.00 inc GST -
QuickviewWanderlust, Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
Monthly Wines, Our Wine, Red Wines$25.00 inc GST♥ Organically grown ♥ Vegan Friendly ♥ Low in sulphur ♥ Dry wine ♥ No residual sugar
We love the people who make the journey to come and visit our cellar door in Coonawarra; they have Wanderlust. They are the daring explorer, the lover of life with tales of adventures and experiences from their many trips. This wine’s for you, intrepid travellers... Decanting this wine for an hour will allow you to see the true depth of flavour, but also show you that this wine is almost unique at this price - in that it will get better over 10 years. No residual sugar, below organic levels of sulphur, and organically grown. The dense fruit and the soft tannins with allow this wine to age well until 2030."Inky in colour pungent fruit aromas with a hint of cigar box cedar adding to the complexity, a big palate with lashings of tight restrained flavours, which will burst forth in due time, and it has a lovely, lingering tight finish. To really enjoy it now, please decant it, or have some patience as in time this will become a REALLY SUPERB WINE!!" Dan Traucki, wine writer
Download tasting notes PDF – 2016 vintage Download tasting notes PDF – 2015 vintage Download tasting notes PDF – 2014 vintage -
Quickview
Koonara Mixed 6 Pack – Free shipping
Monthly Wines, Our WinePick and mix 6 of your favourite Koonara Wines and get free shipping anywhere in Australia.From: $113.70 inc GSTPricing per bottle of wine:
$18.95 – Flowers for Lucy Moscato $19.95 – Emily May Rose + Angel’s Footprints Sauv Blanc $20 – Lucy & Alice Pinot Gris $24.95 – Guardian Angel Sparkling Chardonnay + Cape Banks Pinot Noir + The Golden Orb Sparkling Shiraz $25 – A Song For Alice Riesling + Cape Banks Chardonnay + Wanderlust Cabernet + Angel’s Peak Shiraz $40 – Ambriel’s Gift Cabernet + Ezra’s Gift Shiraz $100 – The Head Honcho Cabernet + The Big Guns Shiraz -
QuickviewRouge Vintner Wine Glass Gift Box (set of 4 glasses)
Glassware, Monthly WinesThe Rouge Vintner glassware range is for the wine obsessed. Designed by our very own Dru Reschke, after 20 years in the wine industry he wanted to create a glass that was not only beautiful but practical. Each glass has been coated with potassium salt which typically gives the glass 5 times the strength of a normal glass – this makes them suitable for use in domestic and commercial dishwashers. The rim has been cold cut and polished, this allows each glass to not only be fine and lightweight but also very strong and durable. Each gift box contains 4 glasses and makes an excellent wedding, engagement or Christmas present.$49.95 inc GSTDru's checklist:
Why has it been so hard to find a wine glass that’s just right for both red and white? One that is big, but can still fit in the dishwasher. One that gives precisely five glasses from each bottle without needing a line. One with a fine rim, but 5 x stronger than normal glass. When I couldn’t find that glass, I designed it myself.Glass features:
- A fine cold-cut lip
- 5 x stronger than normal glass
- Ideal for both red & white wine
- The widest point is 150ml (5oz) for maximum aeration
- Exactly 5 glasses from every bottle
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QuickviewEmily May Rosé, Limestone Coast 2019
Monthly Wines, Our Wine, White Wines$19.95 inc GST♥ Vegan Friendly ♥ Low in sulphur ♥ Dry wine
"Beautifully made and quite delicious.” Nick Butler, The Real Review 2019
Koonara is the name of our property in Coonawarra which has been in our family for over 100 years, and where my Gran - Emiline May Reschke - lived until she was 99. Accomplished dressmaker and designer, teacher, bridge and scrabble guru, and professional floral artist. Here’s to you Gran. “Oh, spectacular sangiovese. The Italian red variety was treated with the love and respect it deserves in this demure rosé. It’s an alluring pale pink, pretty, poised, playful, and complex - like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Delicate waves of strawberries and cream, cherry and raspberries dance around a sturdy, dry backbone. The wine is named after Dru Reschke’s gran, Emiline May Reschke - a fitting tip of the hat to a woman who lived until the ripe old age of 99.” 5 stars, Katie Spain, Wine Writer, The Adelaide Advertiser, 2019 Trophy for 'Norlift Best Rosé in Show’ at the Cairns Wine Show 2019 95 points, Nick Butler, The Real Review 2019 4.5 stars, Winestate Magazine 2019 Download tasting notes PDF for 2019 vintage Download tasting notes PDF for 2018 vintage Download tasting notes PDF for 2017 vintage
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Ezra’s Gift Coonawarra Shiraz 2016
Monthly Wines, Our Wine, Red Wines$40.00 inc GST♥ Organically grown ♥ Vegan Friendly ♥ Low in sulphur ♥ Dry wine ♥ No residual sugar
“Deep red colour with strong purple tints. The bouquet is mineral and metallic, with a stony crushed-rock note. It has chocolate and concentrated black fruits on the palate. Some warmth and afterglow from elevated alcohol. A big wine with lots of ripe flavour and richness. Satisfying! A very powerful Coonawarra shiraz.” - 96 points, Huon Hooke 2019
Koonara is the name of our Coonawarra property, where our family have lived for 100 years. When wine is aged in fine oak barrels, a portion of it evaporates - winemakers call this the ‘Angel’s Share’ - the rest is their gift to us. It was on this sentiment the Koonara angel was born. Ezra is the angel that encourages writers, and helps people unlock their abilities and self expression. Grown at a tiny 1 tonne per acre, and aged in the finest French oak 300 litre Hogshead barrels for 18 months before bottling. Strengthening our vines through nutritional balance and bringing in beneficial bugs means no pesticides or herbicides have been needed or used in our Coonawarra vineyards for over 10 years. This wine will age well until 2030 and beyond. We are very proud of our wines - we hope you enjoy them. Our 2016 vintage was awarded:Download 2016 tasting notes PDF Download 2012 tasting notes PDF- 96 points - Huon Hooke, The Real Review
- 93 points - James Halliday
- 92 points - Mike Bennie, Wine Writer
- Silver - Australian Small Winemakers Show
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Cape Banks, Pinot Noir 2016
Monthly Wines, Our Wine, Red Wines$24.95 inc GST♥ Vegan Friendly ♥ Low in sulphur ♥ Dry wine ♥ No residual sugar
Cool growing conditions, rocky mineraly soils, and low-yielding vines have helped create a complex bouquet awash with true Pinot characters. It has hints of vanilla and fresh tobacco over spicy cherry notes. Mount Gambier is the perfect spot to create really good Pinot. The temperatures between Mount Gambier and the most famous French Pinot Noir region – Burgundy are extremely similar. If you add all the temperatures of the growing season together (minus 10 degree base temp), it gives you the Biological Effective Degree Days (BEDD). For 1st Cru Areas of Burgundy, the BEDD is 1242 and 1245 for Mt Gambier. Named after the Cape Banks Lighthouse, which is only 30mins drive from our vineyards, near Carpenter Rocks on South Australia’s rugged South East coastline.
Food match: Tea smoked duck breast and roast potatoes with truffle salt. Download tasting notes PDF for 2016 vintage Download tasting notes PDF for 2015 vintage Download tasting notes PDF for 2013 vintage“There is a buzz around pinot grown in Mount Gambier and there’s a good reason for it. Cool growing conditions, rocky, minerally soil, and low-yielding vines contribute to the hints of vanilla and fresh tobacco over spicy cheery notes. This is a more-ish tribute to the local landscape and begs for foggy evenings, an armchair and plenty of time to waste.” 4 Stars, Katie Spain, Wine Writer Adelaide Advertiser 2019
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Quickview
Ambriel’s Gift, Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Monthly Wines, Our Wine, Red Wines$40.00 inc GSTAmbriel is the angel of communication and guides us to truth and clarity. The Ambriel’s Gift vineyard sits behind our house in Coonawarra, and is grown at a tiny 1 tonne per acre (the average for Coonawarra is 3.5 - 4 tonnes). The grapes were grown with minimal intervention, with only 4 organic sprays for the season. No pesticides have been used in this vineyard for over 10 years. No expense was spared to make the best wine possible: it was aged in fine grain French oak 300 litre Hogsheads for 26 months before bottling. It contains below organic levels of sulphur, and is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.♥ Organically grown ♥ Vegan Friendly ♥ Low in sulphur ♥ Dry wine ♥ No residual sugar
“The nose is leathery, earthy and tarry with fruit in the cassis spectrum. Silky smooth in the mouth with powerful oak characters sitting on top of an abundance of varietal fruit.” Equal Top In Category, Winestate Magazine 2018
“Abstemious yields across an organic certified vineyard, have deemed apt concentration; the choice of well coopered French oak (18 months), detail, a fleck of cedar and focus. The fruit, ferrous and free-flowing, serves as a beam of blackcurrant, blueberry, graphite, olive and a potpourri of herb and leaf across the finish. The tannins are shapely and moreish; svelte for cabernet, and daubed in sage. The oak rises across the finish auguring for a long future ahead, yet there is nothing obtuse. This is exceptional Coonawarra.” Ned Goodwin (James Halliday), 2019
Our 2015 vintage was awarded:Download tasting notes PDF – 2015 vintage Download tasting notes PDF – 2014 vintage- 5 stars, Equal Top In Category, Winestate Magazine 2018
- 94 points - Melbourne International Wine Competition 2019
- 95 points - James Halliday, 2019
ALL THE FABULOUS PEOPLE - SOCIAL IMAGES
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Ladies by the Lake – Ballarat Mother’s Day
We had a sensational night celebrating Mother’s Day for the first Ladies by the Lake event held at Pipers by…
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Build a Bug Hotel – Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival 2018
Did you know chemical use in Australian Agriculture went up by 14% in 2017 alone? An average garden could hold over…
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Naracoorte Cup – Koonara & Coopers Marquee 2018
Perfect weather, gourmet food and wine, glamorous fashion and racing action came together for our first marquee at the 2018…
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The Original Mount Gambier Pop-up Bar January 2018
More than 2000 people came along to the original Mt Gambier Food & Wine Pop-up Bar at the Rail Lands,…
LATEST NEWS & EVENTS
Over 100 Years in Coonawarra
The quality of your barrels and winemakers. We believe quality is paramount in creating a wine which is not only good, but consistent and age worthy.
Our red wines are aged in French Oak. All of our reds are aged in 100% fine-grain French Oak Hogsheads barrels. Some cheaper wines are produced with oak substitutes such as chips, planks and dominos.
Low yields, small grapes and big flavour. Both our Coonawarra vineyards yield 2 tonnes of fruit or less – the average for Coonawarra is 3.5 – 4 tonnes. We grow small grapes, which are about the size of a pea. This allows us to get more skin per litre of juice. Because the colour and flavour in wine comes from the grapes skin, we can get big colour and flavour in our wines.
Great winemaking team. Peter Douglas the former Wynns winemaker is our winemaker, and one of the most respected winemakers and wine judges in Australia. Both Peter, Dru and Nicole take a collaborative approach to producing award winning wines each year. If you’re looking to visit Coonawarra Wineries, Koonara Wines should be on your list!
In 2017 our Coonawarra vineyards were certified to Australian Organic standards, and no pesticides have been used on the property for over 10 years.
Visit our cellar door at 44 Church Street, Penola
