Spotlight on Australia: Adelaide Hills & Coonawarra
We’re excited to continue the 🌍🍷 “Wines of the World Series” with a spotlight on Australia. Over the coming weeks, we’ll explore key regions and varieties with resources from Wine Australia, who have generously agreed to share their content with the Berlin Wine School Community. One way to look at Australia’s wine regions is by climate type. Let's begin exploring zones and regions with a maritime climate, starting today with Adelaide Hills and Coonawarra. The maritime influence notably cools these areas, affecting both the climate and the styles of wine produced.
📖Adelaide Hills key facts:
It is one of Australia’s coolest and most elevated wine regions.
The climate is cool with a moderate maritime influence (winter rain, cold winters).
Modern wine production started in the 1970’s.
As a region, it has two subregions: Lenswood and Piccadilly Valley
It has a diverse landscape composed of peaks, slopes and valleys, resulting in a multitude of meso- and microclimates.
It has It has 3,957 ha total vineyard area at altitudes between 500 - 749 m and varies soils (heavier soils in the valley floors, well-drained on the slopes).
Wines stand out with their cool climate character and elegance. Wide range of styles, including traditional method sparkling wine, is produced.
It is most suitable for early ripening varieties. Vines are typically grown with Vertical Shoot Position (VSP) and the Lyre trellis system to maximise sunlight and reduces disease risk.
While there’s sufficient rainfall throughout the year, most vineyards use irrigation.
It’s mainly know for white and sparkling wines, the most planted varieties are: Sauvignon Blanc (30%), Chardonnay (25%), Pinot Noir (20%).*
📖Coonawarra key facts:
It has a long winemaking history, with modern production dating back to 1950s.
It has a total 5,784 ha total vineyard area at altitudes between 10 and 110 m.
It is best known for its “terra rossa”, iron-rich soils on limestone bedrock.
Although situated 80km inland, it has a consistent cloud cover and cooling maritime influence caused by its flat terrain and “upwelling”, a common effect when cold water raises from the depths of the Southern Ocean, cooling the air and extending the ripening season. This makes it much cooler than other South Australia regions.
It is best known for red wines and its Cabernet Sauvignon in particular. Due to the cool climate, wines are often medium bodied, with cassis, blackberry, plum and dark cherry flavours, and long aging potential.
The most planted varieties are: Cabernet Sauvignon (55%), Shiraz (24%), and Merlot (7%)*
*As of 2025 and the Wine Australia website.
🔎Did you know?
Settled by German immigrants in the 1800s, Adelaide Hills’ capital Hahndorf is Australia’s oldest-surviving German settlement.
Brian Croser founded the renowned Petaluma winery in 1976 after identifying the area as one of the best in Australia to grow cool climate varieties.
The Geographical Indication (GI) Adelaide Hills was created in 1998.
The slopes in Adelaide Hills make it difficult to use machinery, vineyards are often hand-pruned and hand-picked.
Adelaide Hills winemakers take advantage of the cool climate to experiment with alternative varieties such Gruner Veltliner, Vermentino, Fiano, Tempranillo or Nebbiolo, as well as minimum intervention or extended skin contact.
The name Coonawarra comes from a local aboriginal language and means “honeysuckle”, a plant that grows abundantly in the area.
The prestige of Coonawarra’s terra rossa caused controversy in the 1990s during the process of legally defining the boundaries of the region. Some winemakers outside the terra rossa zone wanted to broaden the boundaries, while those inside the zone did not.
The region surrounding Coonawarra is known as the “Limestone Coast” and gets its name from the widespread limestone soils found in the area.
Historically, Coonawarra is known for sheep farming and sheep play a key role in sustainable initiatives and weed controlled in vineyards.
🎓Want to learn more?
Read more about Adelaide Hills bold experimental winemakers and the “Basket Range Wine Revolution.”
Read the Adelaide Hills snapshot including the latest vintage reports.
Read the Coonawarra snapshot including the latest vintage reports.
💬Share your thoughts!
Have you ever tried sparkling wine from Adelaide Hills? Why is Sauvignon Blanc from the region most valued among Sauvignons from Australian? Have you ever tried Coonawarra’s Cabernet Sauvignon? How does it compare to Bordeaux? Share your thoughts!
All resources, maps, images, and data courtesy of Wine Australia.
➡️Coming up: Mornington Peninsula, Tasmania