In what is a highlight on the country racing calendar, the 40th annual 36o South Coonawarra Vignerons Cup will return to the Penola Racecourse on Thursday January 2022. In past years the event has seen over 2000 guests take to the track, with over 700 of those racegoers attending the exclusive Coonawarra Vignerons Marquee for a day of indulgence.
In 2021 COVID restrictions prevented the prestigious marquee event from proceeding, however, organisers are gearing up to take to the track once more with a modified version of the event, combining a reduced sized marquee with an expansive open-air precinct, to bring some ‘Flemington flair’ to the Penola Racecourse.
Members of the Coonawarra Vignerons, together with sponsors, partners, patrons and special guests, gathered on Thursday 25 November 2021 at DiGiorgio Family Wines to launch and unveil the 2022 36o South Coonawarra Vignerons Cup.
The launch, which coincided with the release of tickets to the event, acknowledged the return of 36 Degrees South Beef as Presenting Partner for a third year running alongside the 2022 event sponsors and race sponsors. The unveiling of the Cup trophy was presented by Sage Murray, General Manager Operations for Teys Australia Naracoorte; Pete Balnaves, president of Coonawarra Grape and Wine Incorporated and the chairman of the Coonawarra Cup Committee, Luke Trotter.
Coonawarra Vignerons Events and Marketing Officer, Heidi Eldridge said “We are thrilled to be welcoming 36o South back as partner for the 2022 Coonawarra Vignerons Cup. The synergy between premium beef, sourced from our region, paired with Coonawarra’s world class wines, lends itself to this magnificent partnership and highlights the outstanding produce we have in our region.”
Representative of 36o South and General Manager Operations for Teys Naracoorte, Sage Murray mirrored the comments of Ms Eldridge stating it was an honour for Teys’ flagship brand to partner with the Coonawarra Wine Region for this prestigious event.
“Like Coonawarra’s fine wines, our premium range of high-quality Australian beef is carefully crafted, delivering deep, rich, full flavoured beef every time. We’re passionate about our Southern Australian provenance and given we are perfectly located on the doorstep of the celebrated Coonawarra wine region, it makes absolute sense to continue this fabulous partnership” Mr Murray.
The event will offer a fully catered package from 11am – 5pm featuring Coonawarra’s fine wines, paired with 36o Beef items in the menu.
Chair of the Vignerons Cup Committee Luke Trotter shared his excitement for the upcoming event. “It feels like it’s been a long time coming and there’s been a lot of work put into getting it to where we’re at.”
Julian “Jules” Schiller is set to be the MC for the day, with DJ Pedro Moshman from “Grapes of Mirth” providing music and entertainment. Keeping with the Vignerons Cup tradition, guests will be invited to partake in a super sweep and grab some prized wines in the live auctions, whilst indulging in a smorgasbord of wines and food for the duration of the fully catered package.
The feature race of the day, the 36 Degrees South Coonawarra Vignerons Cup, is scheduled for race seven of the eight-race program.“It’s going to be a little different, but it’ll still have that same feel about it.” Mr Trotter said.
An exclusive limited number of public tickets are available to the Coonawarra Vignerons Precinct, where up to 600 guests will be hosted by members of the Coonawarra Vignerons wine region community. Public tickets are ON SALE NOW and can be purchased online here.
Please note the event has a double vax policy, and all ticket holders must be able to display proof of vaccination upon entry to the event!
