Coonawarra

Coonawarra is 380km southeast of Adelaide, about 4 hours via the South Eastern Freeway through Keith and Bordertown. The Penola township is the service centre: a compact heritage streetscape with a handful of good restaurants and accommodation options that have improved markedly in recent years. Most cellar doors are strung along a single road through the cigar-shaped strip; you can walk between several of them, which is somewhat surreal given the scale of what's produced here.

Cabernet harvest typically falls in April and May: a cool, unhurried conclusion to the growing season that produces the structured, restrained style the region is known for. Spring (September to October) sees the terra rossa soil contrast sharply against green vine growth: the most photogenic version of the region and a genuinely beautiful time to visit. Winter touring is quiet and cold but rewards those who want cellar doors to themselves and winemakers with time to talk.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the non-negotiable: the terra rossa over limestone delivers a cassis-and-cedar profile with natural acidity and tannin structure that demands cellaring and rewards it for decades. Shiraz grown here is more restrained and savoury than Barossa examples, with its own loyal following. The wider Penola district is developing a genuine food scene: the Hollick Coonawarra Restaurant and a small number of local producers have given the region reasons to stay beyond the cellar door visit.