The 2018 Vintage is well underway in Coonawarra with activity ramping up and extra staff employed at vineyards and wineries to produce the region’s renowned wines.

The wineries are a hive of activity at this time of the year, with plenty of crushing and fermenting on the go.  Nick Zema from Zema Estate said “This vintage has seen an earlier start to the season than previous years due to a dry summer bringing processes forward. The winery team has nearly completed picking Shiraz, with cabernet sauvignon starting to come off the vines.”   This is consistent across Coonawarra wineries with many stating that the quality of the fruit is looking great both on and off the vine.

Once the fruit has been picked it is processed immediately and the magic starts to begin.   Across the board in Coonawarra, great care is taken to preserve the intense flavours throughout the winemaking process.  At Zema Estate, a combination of fermentation in potters, rotary fermenters and oak develop further richness and complexity with maturation in small oak casks produce wines of deep colour, fruit richness and concentration.

Nick Zema overseas the fermentation of a small batch Shiraz at his family’s Estate winery 

To celebrate vintage, Coonawarra hosts an annual event known as ‘Coonawarra After Dark“,  during which a handful of Coonawarra Wineries open their doors to the public at night, with an array of events on offer. Now in its 14th year, a host of food and music-themed events are planned for the After Dark Celebrations from Friday 13th April to Saturday 14th April open to all to join in the celebrations.

View the Coonawarra After Dark program and save the date in your calendar.