Wynns Coonawarra Estate was founded by Scottish pioneer John Riddoch, who noticed the fertility of a small strip of terra rossa soil in the far south-east of South Australia. He planted vineyards in 1891 and completed the estate’s three-gabled winery in 1896. After Riddoch’s passing in 1901, the Coonawarra region languished for the first half of the eighteenth century. In 1951, the area was revived when Melbourne wine merchants Samuel and David Wynns purchased Riddoch’s original vineyards and winery. They recognised the intrinsic qualities of Coonawarra wines – particularly their richness and intense fruit characters – and began to build an independent identity within the region. Wynns Coonawarra Estate was then created, and is now one of Australia’s best-known buildings.

Today, Wynns Coonawarra Estate is the region’s pre-eminent wine producer. It is the largest holder of single-vineyard wines, and the longest-established winery in Coonawarra. Its wines are regarded as benchmarks for the district, lauded for their consistent quality and depth of flavour.

Alongside its cellar door and large outdoor area, Wynns Coonawarra Estate offers its visitors an interpretive centre, featuring information on the estate’s climate, history and winemaking practices. The Make Your Own Blend interactive tour allows guests to try their hand at making a blend from the winery’s own cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and merlot varieties. The tour is a chance to inject your own personality and wine-style into a special bottle you can take home.

With an experienced and knowledgeable team of winemakers and viticulturalists – including 2010 Gourmet Traveller WINE’s Winemaking Team of the Year, Sue Hodder and Allen Jenkins, and 2019’s nominee, Sarah Pidgeon – Wynns Coonawarra Estate won the 2013 Wine of the Year award in Jeremy Oliver’s Australian Wine Annual for its 2010 John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2017, Wynns Coonawarra Estate celebrated the release of its 2015 Black Label Cabernet – the sixtieth vintage of this historic label. Also selling coffee, cheese platters and a range of merchandise, Wynns Coonawarra Estate provides a lovely opportunity to discover the oldest wine estate in Coonawarra.