Limestone Coast

You’ve all heard the name Coonawarra … famous for full-bodied red wines and the rich, red terra rossa soils on which the vines flourish.

But you might not know just how accessible the Coonawarra is. Smack bang between Adelaide and Melbourne, it’s the perfect stopover on the drive between South Australia and Victoria.

And the Coonawarra Cigar is a single, 20 kilometre strip of the famous limestone-based soil, so Coonawarra’s 25 cellar doors can all be found along one straight stretch of the Riddoch Highway.

And what a stellar cellar line up it is, with names like Hollick Winery, Rymill Coonawarra, Bowen Estate, Wynns Coonawarra Estate and Yalumba … some of the wineries responsible for earning Coonawarra a host of international awards in recent years. (The region has taken out more Jimmy Watson Trophies for Australia’s best one-year-old red wine than any other wine district.)

Often, you’ll find special-release wines available only at the tasting room, and staff only too willing to reveal great tales about Coonawarra’s rich history.

Only 60 kilometres inland, Coonawarra’s climate is predominately maritime, with cold and wet winters, warm summers and a long ripening season. Although Shiraz was virtually the only wine grape grown in Coonawarra from 1900 to 1950, the true champion of the region is undoubtedly Cabernet Sauvignon. Today about 50 per cent of all vines are Cabernet Sauvignon and 21 per cent Shiraz, with other varieties including Riesling, Chardonnay, Merlot and Pinot Noir.

350 km from Adelaide

25 Wineries Available

7 Attractions Available

Average Distance 880km

Average Duration 16hrs

Majella Coonawarra

Majella Wines are regarded as one of the best producers of premium Australian wine!

Based in the famous Coonawarra wine region in South Australia they have won well over 660 awards both in Australia and the rest of the world. These awards have included many prestigious trophies which have only enhanced Majella’s standing in the Australian wine industry