Coonawarra has long been recognised as one of Australia""s premium wine producing regions and takes its name from the Aboriginal word ""honeysuckle"".

Wine grapes were first planted in Coonawarra in 1890 with the first vintage being 1895
John Riddoch was the founder of the ""Penola Fruit Colony"", later becoming known as the Coonawarra wine region
Construction of the first winery in Coonawarra was commenced in 1896 and completed in 1987 and is known today as Wynns Coonawarra Estate 
Cellar Door Sales

There are a total of 23 Cellar Door outlets in the Coonawarra wine region
Wineries

Coonawarra currently has 16 working wineries with the 17th currently under construction.
Plantings

Current plantings of 5500 hectares
Two distinctive periods of growth were one in the mid to late 70""s and the other in the late 90""s
Coonawarra now has about 7% of the South Australian wine industry vineyards
Cabernet Sauvignon makes up 58% of the total area under vine
Shiraz 20%
Merlot 8%
Chardonnay 7%
Riesling 4%
Sauvignon Blanc 1%
Other varieties include Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Semillon and Viogner
Most of the plantings have occurred pre 1999
Why is Coonawarra""s ""terra rossa"" unique?

It is derived from fresh water, lacustrine limestone
It contains a high, aeolian clay and nutrient content
It provides the best terroir for Cabernet Sauvignon in the world!
* The geological term ""terra rossa"", which is of Italian origin, was first used by Zippe in 1853.

Climate

Coonawarra is a ""cool climate"" wine region
Average rainfall is 640mm (30 year average)
Average daily winter temperature is 9.8C
Average summer temperature is 18.8C
Average elevation is 55m above sea level
Other

Coonawarra is a Phylloxera free wine region
The Coonawarra wine industry employs over 1600 people