The recent Coonawarra in Sydney showcase was more than a tasting event. It was a living classroom in how site, soil, and climate shape the wines we love. Glass in hand, I found myself not only enjoying each pour but also learning, as every wine revealed something new about Coonawarra’s story.

What Does Make Terra Rossa Soil So Legacy?

Coonawarra’s signature Terra Rossa soil is as striking as its wines. This clay-rich red earth rests on a limestone bedrock, offering both excellent drainage and water-holding capacity. The vines are encouraged to send roots deep, drawing on nutrients and building resilience. It is no accident that this narrow strip of land has become synonymous with Cabernet Sauvignon of remarkable character.

Cabernet Sauvignon: Balance in Every Sip

The region’s famous Cabernet owes much to its climate. Warm days provide the energy for the grapes to ripen fully, building sugars and deep flavours. Cool nights, however, are the quiet guardians that slow respiration, preserve acidity, and protect delicate aromatics that might otherwise fade. The result is a Cabernet with ripe red and black fruit, always framed by freshness and lift.

Tasting it on the harbour, I could feel how the duality of Coonawarra’s days and nights was written into the glass.

Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Red Fruit Clarity

Alongside Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc proudly showed their cool-climate heritage. In warmer regions, these grapes lean toward darker black-fruit characters such as plum, blackberry, and cocoa. In Coonawarra, they revealed a brighter spectrum of red fruits: cherry, raspberry, and cranberry. Juicy, precise, and lifted rather than heavy, their vibrancy was refreshing against the salt air of the harbour.

It was a reminder of just how deeply climate can shape flavour.

Riesling and the Gift of Cool Nights

Though Clare Valley is Australia’s benchmark for Riesling, Coonawarra also produces small but vibrant examples. The lesson Riesling teaches is universal. Warm days drive sugar accumulation and flavour development, while cool nights slow grape respiration. This protects malic acid, preserves brightness, and safeguards the fragile aromatic compounds that give Riesling its floral and citrus notes.

Balance in wine often comes not from what the day gives, but from what the night saves.

Shiraz with a Peppery Twist

Cool-climate Shiraz tells a different story to its warm-climate cousins. Instead of bold, rich, chocolatey depths, here the spice and pepper take the lead. Elegance is the hallmark, with red and blue fruits lifted by freshness. It is an expression that speaks as much to place as it does to grape.

A Final Sip

As the Starship Sydney traced a path across the harbour, it struck me that these wines, shaped by soils laid down millions of years ago and climates balanced between warmth and chill, were themselves stories of balance.

Every glass was a reminder that wine is never just about the grape. It is the meeting of earth, sky, and time, captured in liquid form. It is a lesson I will carry long after the last pour: terroir is not just something you taste, it is something you feel.