When should I drink red wine?

We are often asked at Cellar Door when our Coonawarra red wines - or any red wine for that matter - should be drunk.

Like many things in wine, there is no simple answer but here are some considerations for those who like to pop a bottle of red wine away in the hope they will be rewarded for their patience. Make sure you choose a dark place, free of wild temperature fluctuations - away from the walls of your home. The linen cupboard of under the stairs are ideal spots if an underground cellar or refrigerated wine cabinet are unavailable.

The fact is, most Australian wine is consumed within 24 hours of purchase. So if you are after a wine that can cellar, ask us at cellar door or ask your fine wine store for some advice on which wines will improve with time. You can then note the ideal drinking frame on the back label and wait. We sometimes make museum (cellared) wines available for purchase from Cellar Door to save you the wait. However if you'd like to enjoy the cellaring process, select from our Katnook Estate and Limited Release wines for reds which will just get better with 5-20+ years age in bottle. These wines make perfect gifts for future special occasions too - why not buy a dozen from the birth year of your child to present to them on their 18th or 21st birthdays?

The best advice we can give is to open a special bottle when the moment seems right to you. If it is before the suggested cellaring time, simply open the wine well ahead of serving time and decant it for extra aeration, which simulates the ageing process. When consumed with fine food, you can certainly open a special bottle whenever you like really...and celebrate the memories. If you simply can’t stand to do that alone, remember that Open That Bottle Night is the last Saturday of February. That’s when you can join others like you, world-wide, in opening their special bottles.

18/09/2019 at 4:49 PM Permalink

World Wine Awards for Wingara

The Wingara Wine Group has enjoyed success across all its brands at recent international wine shows.

GLOBAL CABERNET MASTERS AWARDS 2019

Odyssey Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 has won an international gold medal and Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 won silver at the 2019 Global Cabernet Masters Wine Competition. This is one of the most respected wine competitions in the world, attracting submissions from over 20 countries.

Wines were assessed exclusively by style and price, with the judging panel composed entirely of Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers and senior buyers in the United Kingdom.

We are thrilled that these Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignons stand tall on the world stage.

SOMMELIER WINE AWARDS 2019 
This is the only wine competition aimed solely at the on-trade. Judged blind by a panel of top leading sommeliers and on-trade buyers, the competition rewards the best wines available to restaurants, bars and hotels in the UK and beyond. Wingara Wine Group was delighted with the following awards, announced last month:

Silver
Deakin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Bronze
Katnook Founder's Block Shiraz 2016
La La Land Pinot Noir 2018

Commended 
Deakin Estate Viognier 2018
Deakin Estate Chardonnay 2018
Katnook Founder's Block Chardonnay 2017.

03/07/2019 at 8:32 AM Permalink

World class results

Katnook Odyssey Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 ($110) recently won a gold medal and Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 ($40) won silver at the 2019 Global Cabernet Masters Wine Competition -  one of the most respected wine competitions in the world, attracting submissions from wineries from over 20 countries.

Run by Drinks Trade International, this competition assesses wines exclusively by style and price, with the judging panel composed entirely of Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers and senior buyers in the United Kingdom.

We are thrilled that these Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignons stand tall on the world stage. Both available from this website here.

25/06/2019 at 1:53 PM Permalink

Meet Dan McNicol

We're pleased to welcome assistant Katnook Winemaker, Dan McNicol to the team. We recently sat down and chatted to Dan to find out a little bit more about his background and winemaking philosophy. 

Tell us about your winemaking background.

I graduated from the University of Adelaide class of 2018. Before and during my studies, I worked in the vineyard and winery at Wirra Wirra in McLaren Vale for around 7 years.

Initially, I was more interested in viticulture but decided to go into winemaking, so I have a deep appreciation for the vineyard/winery connection and letting the fruit speak for itself. I see the role of a winemaker as nurturing the wine along its way to bottle.

Watching the process of fruit progressing on the vine and the satisfaction of seeing it go through the winery is extremely rewarding. It’s great to have something to show for all the hard work.

How are you finding Coonawarra so far?

I hadn’t ever visited the Coonawarra wineries before arriving here in November 2018 to start my role as assistant winemaker. It was so dry when I arrived so I was pleased to see the recent rain. The wines here have so much potential and I love that this area feels like true countryside - relaxed and easy going.

The scenery is very different to what I’m used to from McLaren Vale, a lot flatter and vineyard architecture is different. There’s a lot of redevelopment, which is positive for the region, as growers work hard to improve regional grape quality.

Arriving in Coonawarra, I’m happy to be amongst a nice bunch of people, close to the beach and to nice fishing spots such as, Noracriena Beach - a sheltered bay near Robe. It’s wonderful to be close to beautiful scenery and have to say, am loving the crayfish!

And of course it'e been awesome working with Tim Heath, who with all his winemaking experience has made my first vintage here really interesting and exciting.

30/05/2019 at 3:40 PM Permalink

Vintage 2019, it's a wrap

Vintage 2019 is over for another year. Here our vineyard and winery teams report on the season.

Chris Brodie - Senior Viticulturist, Katnook Coonawarra. South Australia.

This year was later than recent vintages and was more like the seasons we experienced in the 2000’s. Rainfall up to mid-December meant very little irrigation was needed on established vines.

The heatwave in late January was well forecast, so thankfully we were able to manage harvest accordingly.

Largely due to a light frost in November and unseasonal weather during flowering, crop loads were below average and 20% lower than 2018. We enjoyed a very good quality growing season, with our vines replanted in 2015 and 2016 doing well.

The whites showed good natural acidity and complex flavours at harvest. The reds had good, deep colours and great varietal characters.

Overall, 2019 has been a pleasing season and working with the new winery team went very smoothly indeed.

Tim Heath - Winemaker, Katnook Coonawarra. South Australia.

My first full vintage at Katnook was an exciting one, working closely with the vineyard team to maximise fruit potential across all varieties. Our wines certainly benefit from state of the art equipment, such as the stainless steel basket press. Some winemaking initiatives this vintage included:

Wild yeast fermentation on some White and Red batches;
Gravity feeding red fruit directly to fermenters to assist in production of lifted aromatics through some Carbonic Maceration and finer management of tannin profile through less front-end maceration;
Extended post ferment maceration on some Shiraz and Cabernet parcels;
Inclusion of whole bunch in some Shiraz ferments;
Use of high-quality French oak across all red varieties and chardonnay –to produce wines with greater oak balance, integration and complexity.

At this early stage, here is how each wine is shaping up so far.

Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir – elegant base wines thanks to focussing on front end handling to decrease phenolic pick up, including modification of press programs to Cremant cycles (Champagne press cycles).

Sauvignon Blanc – good acid balance. Should produce elegant wines with solid varietal character

Chardonnay – picked earlier than previous years to capture a fresher more citrus driven flavour profile. Looking strong.

Shiraz – fresh, elegant wines that showcase a “cooler climate” aroma and flavour profile.

Cabernet Sauvignon - lifted, fragrant cabernets produced from what should turn out to be a strong vintage.

Overall, I am anticipating some very strong 2019 wines in the bottle.

22/05/2019 at 11:31 AM Permalink

Twentieth Vintage of Odyssey released

This year, Katnook Estate celebrated the 20th vintage release of its flagship wine with the 2013 Katnook Odyssey Cabernet Sauvignon, available now.

This highly awarded and unique limited release Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon is handcrafted only in outstanding vintages from specific rows within Katnook’s distinguished vineyards planted on classic terra rossa soil. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, Katnook Odyssey represents a seamless blend of intense fruit and extended oak maturation. 

The 1991 Odyssey was the inaugural vintage, released in 1996 to commemorate the centenary of the first vintage made at Katnook’s woolshed in 1896. The name Odyssey reflected the ongoing journey of Katnook with its roots in the past and sights on the future. The aim was to make a timeless Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, one that would stand alongside the world’s best.

True to its name, Odyssey has journeyed from a vision to an internationally acclaimed wine with a string of international awards to its name.

Classified in the “Outstanding” category in the prestigious Langton’s Classification of Australian Wines since 2005 and awarded 96 Halliday points, the 20th vintage release is a classic Odyssey: a powerful and complex Cabernet Sauvignon that demands time to truly express itself and will cellar gracefully for over 20 years.

Celebrations were held around Australia, the UK and Asia with dinners showcasing back vintages alongside the new release 2013. It's been a veritable Odyssey!

31/12/2018 at 10:36 AM Permalink

Langton's Classification V11 released.

The Langton’s VII Classification was released on September 1st 2018 and Katnook Coonawarra is delighted that again, the following wines are included in just 136 of Australia's finest.  The wines are:

Katnook Odyssey - Outstanding Category and
Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - Excellent Category.

The inaugural Classification, in 1990, included just 34 wines. Classifications II, III and IV followed at approximately five-year intervals, tracking the leading wines, and documenting the dramatic growth and increasing maturity of the Australian fine wine scene.

Almost three decades on from its inception, the Classification's authority is firmly entrenched aorund the world.

The seventh edition – unveiled on 1 September 2018 – features 136 wines and incorporates a number of important changes and additions. In its early years the Classification successfully strengthened the fledgling market for fine Australian wine. It is now arguably the most famous and widely-respected wine Classification outside Europe.

The two basic requirements for inclusion in the Classification are that a wine has been made for a minimum of 10 vintages and that it has a track record in the secondary market.

Eligibility rests on how well a wine performs in an open market – the volume of demand it attracts and the prices it realises. Ultimately, the reputation of a wine is based on its auction pedigree – the record it builds up, over time.

Revised every five years, the Classification documents an evolving Australian winemaking culture at the forefront of innovation and excellence in the world of fine wine. It also reflects a continuing momentum towards single vineyard wines and regional identity. It maintains a strong emphasis on red wines, particularly labels renowned for cellaring potential.

The Classification is market-driven, and the market shifts and changes over time. While a number of wines have moved within categories, all wines from Classification V have been retained in Classification VI, underlining the maturity and stability of the market.

The Classification is aimed at anyone with an interest in fine wine. Many will be connoisseurs and collectors, and the Classification inevitably includes wines that are popular with investors. While some classified wines have increased in value over time, Langton’s advice is to beware of investing in wine for financial profit without a full understanding of the pitfalls.

As a reflection of market sentiment captured on a regular, moving basis, the Classification does not and cannot aim to be absolute or definitive; the market is always in flux.

The authority of the Classification derives from its independence; the fundamental criteria for inclusion are objective and market-driven.

10/10/2018 at 4:53 PM Permalink

Halliday 2019 'Wine Companion' - Five Red Stars for Katnook Coonawarra

James Halliday​ yesterday released his 2019 'WineCompanion' and we are thrilled to announce that Katnook Coonawarra​ has retained its 5 red star status.  
Check out Halliday's 'Wine Companion' reviews for Katnook here.
 

03/08/2018 at 5:22 PM Permalink

Final report on Vintage 2018

Vintage is over for another year at Katnook Coonawarra and early reports are that 2018 is shaping up to be a fantastic year.  Harvest began early on February 6th and finished late on April 12th.  It was drier and warmer than average, with crops down by about a third, due to a spring frost.  As the Coonawarra Vignerons report, 2018 is shaping up to be an 'amazing' season throughout the region.

Katnook Coonawarra General Manager of Viticulture, Chris Brodie reported this early start to vintage was despite late budburst.  He says, “The spring leading up to the 2018 vintage at Katnook Coonawarra was wet, providing good soil moisture which gave the vines an excellent start, with very little early season irrigation required. Temperatures were relatively warm which also encouraged good vine growth, especially in newly planted areas. 

A significant late frost in early November caused crop losses throughout Coonawarra, Wrattonbully and Padthaway. Katnook’s crop was subsequently down by around 30%, with Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon at Founder’s Block level most affected. In mid November, we experienced heavy rainfall of around 75mm in one day but thereafter enjoyed warm, clear conditions for the rest of vintage. 

In mid-January, most of southern Australia, including Coonawarra had several days of heatwave conditions, which brought forward the first day of vintage by about 3 weeks to February 6th with Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir for sparkling wine. Harvest continued at an even pace and finished with the last of the Cabernet Sauvignon on April 12th.

In summary, the 2018 season was significantly warmer and drier than usual as seen in the chart below.  Grape flavours across all varieties are better than they have ever been, we have some excited winemakers in the region!"

Katnook’s Vintage Winemaker, Greg Clayfield with his wealth of winemaking experience has superbly steered our team though Vintage 2018 until Tim Heath started as Senior Winemaker this June. 

Greg reported “Ideal, even ripening conditions lead to a very controlled harvest and crush schedule, with all varieties picked at optimum maturity. A key factor was the sustained dry season , with neither rainfall nor temperature extremes having any influence.

Flavours are very promising with Riesling and Shiraz the standouts.  A significant amount of work was put into smaller scale Shiraz ferments, incorporating hand-picked whole bunches. The subsequent wines will make a significant contribution when the Shiraz blends are finalised.

Cabernet Sauvignon are rich, elegant and distinctly regional.  After the very early start in February the last fruit, Cabernet Sauvignon, was picked quite late on April 12th.

A significant contributor to the smooth running of the winery was the input of Jo Ahearn MW in her role as Vintage Winemaker.  Jo is a star multi tasker, bringing experience ranging from winemaking in the Barossa Valley to managing a large winery in New South Wales, working in the London Wine Trade through to now operating her own winery and brand in Croatia.  

In short, 2018 was a very good Coonawarra vintage here at Katnook.”

17/07/2018 at 10:11 AM Permalink

Katnook welcomes new Senior Winemaker

Katnook Coonawarra is delighted to announce the appointment of new Senior Winemaker, Tim Heath, who will start in the role on July 2nd 2018.

Tim has been the Senior Winemaker at one of the world’s most successful wineries, Cloudy Bay Vineyards, New Zealand, where he pursued his craft for the last fourteen years. During this time, Tim was responsible for all facets of crafting Cloudy Bay’s internationally renowned wine styles, as well as overseeing winery infrastructure and expansion.  Tim has extensive experience promoting wine and liaising with key opinion leaders in national and international markets. 
 
Prior to Tim’s move to Cloudy Bay, he was Winemaker at Mountadam in the Barossa Valley, during which time he assisted with vintage at Cave de Tain-l'Hermitage, Northern Rhone, France.  Tim has visited most major French, Spanish and German wine regions, rounding out his international approach to winemaking.

Born and raised in Australia, Tim began studying a Bachelor of Science at the University of Adelaide, before transferring to a Bachelor of Oenology when he realised that winemaking “looked like too much fun to be considered a ‘real’ job”. He graduated from Oenology with First Class Honours, completing a thesis entitled ‘The development of non-destructive photo-chemical assay to measure the ingress of oxygen into bottled wine through various closures.’

Speaking of his new role, Tim said “I’m excited to be joining the team at Katnook, an Estate which has some of the finest terroir in the Coonawarra region, as well as incredible pedigree and history.”

Katnook’s Executive Director of Operations and Finance, Chris Pike, said of the appointment, “We are thrilled that someone of Tim’s winemaking calibre has accepted this role. Tim brings a wealth of international expertise and creative flair that is certain to build on the great legacy left by Wayne Stehbens and to take Katnook Coonawarra into an exciting future.”
 

16/03/2018 at 12:50 PM Permalink