Throughout the month of October, Coonawarra is set to be a hive of activity with the return of Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations.

One of South Australia’s best regional wine-based festivals, it is the largest of its kind in the Limestone Coast, hosting 60 unique events occurring across 5 weeks. The event kicks off on Friday 28 September and tastings will run throughout October. A highlight on the wine region’s event calendar, the month is designed to showcase and celebrate the Coonawarra wine region’s signature red wine: Cabernet Sauvignon.

Olivia Nunn, Executive Officer of Coonawarra Vignerons said over the course of the month, there will be plenty of opportunities for wine enthusiasts, foodies and families alike to discover Coonawarra, whilst savouring our worldclass wines and enjoying our country hospitality and sense of community.

“It is a great showcase and collaborative effort of our members with 22 of our member wineries hosting events and up to 34 member wineries involved in the regional events. The Regional Retrospective Tasting is a good example of over 20 wineries co-presenting and a great opportunity for us to provide an authentic in region tasting.” said Ms Nunn. The Regional Retrospective Tasting is one of the feature events in the calendar. Over 20 wineries, winemakers gather in one location to taste and compare decade old wines with current releases from a large selection of Coonawarra producers.

Marketing and Events Officer at Coonawarra Vignerons, Heidi Eldridge is excited to share the vast array of events that are on offer. ‘’This year’s program is jam-packed full of events taking place throughout our region. Special cellar door wine tastings, brunches, lunches, vineyard tours, dinners and Sunday sessions will showcase the regions burgeoning food credentials, and music talent, whilst the iconic events: the Masterclass, and the Retrospective Wine Tasting, will bring together the best the region has to offer to active and educate your senses with total cabernet immersion!” said Ms Eldridge.

This year’s masterclass will explore the provenance of 5 carefully selected, outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon or Claret wines from 2 vintages spanning at least 10 years! Participants will have the opportunity to taste wines with a  price tag of over $350. Masterclass host and Lindeman’s Wine Maker, Brett Sharpe, said “Rarely do opportunities like this arise, where you can taste young and the old side by side, and evaluate the performance of each wine over time.” We look forward to welcoming Philip Rich, Wine General Manager of the Lucas Group to co-host this world class event.

This year the Coonawarra Masters Golf Day, previously held in January is an addition to the Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations programme. “Teams of four are invited to come along and tee off with who’s who of Coonawarra, in a day of social, but competitive golf, at the picturesque Penola Golf Course.” Ms Eldridge said. Teams will be vying for a chance to wear the coveted perpetual ‘Red Jackets’, along with other prizes throughout the day.

Check out our full CALENDAR OF EVENTS and View the PDF EVENT PROGRAMME.

A shuttle bus will be operating from Penola, travelling the Coonawarra Strip throughout the four weekends of October to help visitors travel between wineries, more information is available at www.coonawarra.org.

With spring in full flight, there’s no better time to soak up Coonawarra.

Take the time to celebrate, educate + activate your senses from 28 September to 31 October 2018.