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Katnook Estate is a winery in Coonawarra, South Australia. Its vineyards, planted in prime Terra Rossa soil, span 330 hectares in the heart of this comparatively small and remote region. Varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Riesling with many vines being over 30 years old.
edit Company profile
- Vineyard Manager
- Chris Brodie
- Senior Winemaker
- Wayne Stehbens
edit History
In 1861 a Scottish immigrant, John Riddoch, arrived at Penola in South Australia, prosperous from years of operating a trading post in the goldfields. Riddoch purchased vast parcels of land and over the years was impressed with the remarkable rate of growth of fruit trees and vines in the areas of soil with a distinctive red colour. He began buying land at 'Katnook' a nearby property to his own which had similar rich red soil. (The name 'Katnook' is aboriginal for fat land, denoting the rich fertile character of the country.) Determined to encourage closer settlement in the southeast, in 1890 Riddoch formed the Coonawarra Fruit Colony, set up its administration headquarters at 'Katnook' and sold off the land in 10 acre blocks. It was here at 'Katnook' that Coonawarra was born.
Riddoch planted 140 acres of his own vines. His first vintage in 1895 was a low key event in a nearby nursery shed. His second, with a much greater volume of fruit and attended to by a qualified winemaker, William Salter, was made in his own woolshed at 'Katnook' in 1896. By all accounts this second vintage gave an indication of the quality that was to come.
In 1967 the Yunghanns family purchased 'Katnook' and in 1969 planted their first vines. The family renamed the property 'Katnook Estate' and formed the Coonawarra Machinery Company (now known as Wingara Wine Group). In 1980 production of wine under both the Riddoch and Katnook Estate labels commenced in the 'Katnook' woolshed just as John Riddoch had done 84 years earlier.
edit Contact
- katnook@wingara.com.au
- Phone
- +61 8 8737 2394
- Fax
- +61 8 8737 2397
edit Visits
edit See also
