The wine region of Coonawarra holds many secrets in the soil and is known for its particularly fine Cabernet Sauvignon.

During the annual Cellar Dwellers month held to promote the region’s aged wines, however, Coonawarra’s Leconfield Wines has chosen to showcase a 20-year-old Riesling.

“We work on both reds and whites here, but we know that our Riesling ages particularly well and thought the public might like to see that for themselves,” winemaker Tim Bailey says.

Leconfield’s 18ha vineyard produces fruit with naturally low pH and high acidity, which is essential for growing a white wine to age.

Bailey is excited about the 1993 Leconfield Riesling, which he says is golden in colour, and dry and fine on the palate. It has more depth and fullness than a younger wine, providing toast and cumquat aromas with a hint of honey.

Marketing and events manager of the Coonawarra Vignerons Association Renee Harrison says people are starting to become aware of the fine white wine the region can produce.

“While Coonawarra has become synonymous with Cabernet Sauvignon, we also have generations of experience producing wonderful Shiraz, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Malbec and Merlot, as well as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling and Semillon.

“People are picking up on the superb quality of Coonawarra whites and the region is producing more and more as a result.”

Bailey agrees white winemaking is becoming more common in Coonawarra, saying it accounts for around 12 per cent of total plantings.

“Chardonnay takes up the majority, followed by Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc, then a smaller percentage of various other white varieties.”

The process to create an aged Riesling is concise.

“Crop load and canopy management are two pretty important parts of producing good Riesling,” Bailey says. “We keep the juice pretty cool, avoid oxidation at all costs, ferment at cool temperatures with aromatic yeasts, and get it into bottle to protect the pristine Riesling flavours.”

He believes Cellar Dwellers, which runs throughout the month of July and includes tasting events at some 30 wineries, is a great educational and promotional tool. As well as teaching people about the ageing process for wine, it also highlights the importance of the industry.

“South Australian winemaking is very important for regional economies’ prosperity from an employment and tourism viewpoint,” Bailey says.

Harrison says the wine community is putting on quite the show, and welcomes guests to experience the ageing wine selections.

“This weekend we have a number of events, including ‘Walk with Winemakers’, which is running for the first time this year.

“Hollick Wines are having their infamous ‘Long Lunch’ and Rymill Coonawarra is serving up a feast at Maturation and Mayura.”

For the month of July, Coonawarra is celebrating its wine, giving people the opportunity to relax for a couple of days, escape from the hustle and bustle and, most importantly, enjoy the aged wines on offer.

The full Cellar Dwellers program is available online.